Suspects in Merced police shooting appear in court

An attorney representing a man accused of shooting a Merced police officer asked a judge on Monday for three more weeks to review the case before his client enters any plea.

Jaime M. Caudillo of Los Banos has been charged with shooting an officer during a traffic stop Feb. 28 on H Street in Merced. Caudillo’s recently hired attorney, Richard Beshwate Jr. of Fresno, appeared Monday before Judge Mark V. Bacciarini.

The officer, whose identity has not been released by law enforcement, has since been released from the hospital and is recovering at home with his family, police have said. The names of the two officers who reportedly returned fire also have not been released.

Caudillo, 30, and his co-defendant, 24-year-old Steven P. Rincon of Fresno, did not enter pleas Monday. The judge ordered both men to return to court March 30 for arraignment.

Caudillo has been charged with attempted murder of a police officer and assault with a firearm. Rincon, who police said was driving the car that officers pulled over, was charged with assault with a firearm and enhancements of street gang participation and having a prior prison-strike offense, according to the Merced County District Attorney’s Office.

Police said Caudillo opened fire from the passenger seat of Rincon’s vehicle after police stopped him in the 2100 block of H Street.

The vehicle, a red 2013 Chrysler 200, sped away during a shootout with officers in which Caudillo was shot multiple times. Caudillo was captured in a nearby alley on West 22nd Street after the vehicle crashed. Rincon fled on foot and was captured after a 10-hour manhunt in central Merced, police said.

Caudillo and Rincon remain in custody at John Latorraca Correctional Facility. Caudillo is being held without bail. Rincon’s bail is set at $670,000, according to booking records.

Capt. Tom Trindad on Monday said the department was still conducting its internal review and that there was no timetable for when it would conclude or when the department would release the identities of all three officers involved.

The District Attorney’s Office was reviewing the case, standard procedure in all officer-involved shootings. Pat Lunney, the chief of investigations at the prosecutor’s office, said each case has to be reviewed on an individual basis and there are no time frames for completion of the review.

“We generally move as quickly as possible, but depending on the facts of the case, it can take a little while,” Lunney said Monday. “We look at the whole case and determine whether any criminal charges are warranted, and we look at the amount of force used and determine whether it was justified.”

Investigators review witness statements, the physical evidence, and any audio and video footage of the incident in question. “If it’s a case where we need special reports or analysis, such as ballistics, it can take longer to come back from the (state Department of Justice),” Lunney said.

This story was originally published March 9, 2015 at 10:18 AM with the headline "Suspects in Merced police shooting appear in court."