VAN NUYS : Driver Who Hit Officer Sentenced
A North Hollywood man was sentenced Tuesday to six years in prison for hitting a Los Angeles police officer with a stolen car.
Louis Tejeda, a 21-year-old painter who also uses the name Oscar Tejeda, pleaded guilty three weeks ago to assault on a police officer May 3.
Motorcycle officer Manuel Arujo and his partner pulled up behind Tejeda in a left-hand turn lane on Laurel Canyon Boulevard. They didn’t know that Tejeda was being followed by detectives who suspected him of involvement in a drug deal.
When Tejeda saw the motorcycle officers, he put the car in reverse and struck Arujo, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Susan Speer.
Arujo was knocked down when his motorcycle was hit. He received minor injuries and missed five days work.
Tejeda fled the scene with the detectives in pursuit. They shot at Tejeda, grazing his ear after he abandoned the car and was trying to climb over a wall.
An attempted murder charge, which carried a possible life in prison sentence, was dropped as part of a plea bargain. In addition to assault, Tejeda pleaded guilty to felony hit-and-run and auto theft.
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