VAN NUYS : Man Enters Plea in Assault on Officer

A Van Nuys man pleaded not guilty Tuesday in Superior Court to charges of attempted murder stemming from a May 3 incident in which he allegedly ran over a police officer on a motorcycle.

Oscar Haroldo Tejeda, 20, was shot in the ear by another police officer after fleeing the scene of the accident at Saticoy Street and Laurel Canyon Boulevard, police said.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Susan Speer said Tejeda was under surveillance because he matched the description of a man wanted in a murder case. Two motorcycle officers involved in the operation pulled behind Tejeda, who was driving a stolen car, she said.

When Tejeda saw the officers behind him, he put the car into reverse and ran over Officer Manuel Arujo, according to evidence presented at a preliminary hearing two weeks ago.

Arujo received minor injuries in the incident. He took “evasive action or he probably would have been killed,” Speer said.

Tejeda fled the scene, but other officers gave chase, eventually shooting him after he abandoned the stolen vehicle and attempted to scale a wall, officials said.

Tejeda has since been cleared in the murder investigation, but he still faces charges of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer and felony hit-and-run. If convicted, he could receive a life prison sentence.