Atwater man convicted in chase, officer-involved shooting just 8 days after incident

A 33-year-old Atwater man pleaded no contest Friday in connection with a high-speed chase last week in Merced in which an officer opened fire, leading to a large manhunt in the Beachwood area.

The speedy conviction comes just eight days after John A. Barragan led officers on a chase through several busy intersections in Merced. A Merced police officer fired at least one round at the car Barragan was driving on Sept. 21 in the area of Fairfield Drive and M Street, near two popular fast-food restaurants along Olive Avenue.

Barragan was captured in the backyard of a home just off Franklin Road. The chase started when an officer spotted Barragan run a stop sign on Buena Vista Drive, according to the Merced Police Department.

Officers said Barragan sped away from the patrol car when the officer tried to stop him for the traffic violation.

The name of the officer who opened fire has not been released by the Merced Police Department. Capt. Chris Goodwin on Friday said authorities were still working on the internal review and investigation and expected to release more information, including the officer’s name, early next week.

The officer has been placed on administrative leave in connection with the shooting, a routine procedure in all officer-involved shooting cases.

Barragan appeared in court Friday before Commissioner Jeanne Schechter and pleaded no contest to a single felony count of evading peace officers, according to Merced County Superior Court records. He was sentenced to serve 16 months in state prison.

Mathew Martinez, the Merced County deputy district attorney who prosecuted the case, said Barragan’s prior criminal history figured into the decision to seek prison time in the case. Martinez said he was satisfied with the outcome.

“It was a very quick resolution,” Martinez said Friday.

Barragan has been arrested nearly a dozen times in the last 18 months on a variety of minor drug and theft-related charges as well a string of probation violations, according to Merced County Jail records.

Barragan’s attorney was not immediately available for comment Friday.

This story was originally published September 29, 2017 at 3:27 PM with the headline "Atwater man convicted in chase, officer-involved shooting just 8 days after incident."