Officer Target of Attempted Holdup, Oxnard Police Say
A would-be thief got more than he bargained for Friday when the man he is accused of trying to rob turned out to be an off-duty SWAT team member.
According to Oxnard police, 21-year-old Cain Martinez of Oxnard pointed a gun and demanded money from Oxnard Police Sgt. Ben Chavez as Chavez waited in his vehicle at a red light at the intersection of Hill and C streets.
Chavez told him he might have some money in the center console, then pulled out his off-duty handgun and pointed it at Martinez, who dropped his gun and fled after telling the officer that he had only been kidding, police said.
A short while later, Oxnard police found Martinez hiding on a rooftop a couple of blocks away, obscured by tree branches. Officers fired pepper rounds when he refused to come down, police said.
Martinez will be charged with attempted robbery. Chavez was not hurt in the incident.
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