Man gets 110 years in prison for attempted murder of officers during police pursuit in California

By Rosalio Ahumada
The Sacramento Bee

SACRAMENTO — A judge sentenced a man to 110 years and six months to life in prison for a high-speed police pursuit in 2021 in which he fired a gun at officers while driving recklessly through a Sacramento neighborhood, prosecutors said.

In May, a jury found Ismael Herrera-Mondello guilty of five counts attempted murder of a police officerseven counts of assault on a police officer with a semi-automatic firearm and felony eluding police. He was also convicted of vehicle theft, three counts of shooting at an inhabited dwelling and two counts of felony possession of a firearm.

On Friday, Sacramento Superior Court Judge Peter Williams convicted Herrera-Mondello in the police pursuit three years ago Sacramento County District Attorney's Office announced in a press release on Monday.

Herrera-Mondello, 23, remained in custody Monday at the Sacramento County Main Jail, where he is awaiting transfer to a prison.

The police chase on July 7, 2021 began just before 5 p.m. when officers spotted one stolen vehicle near 65th Street and Fruitridge RoadSacramento police said. Officers attempted to stop the stolen vehicle, but the driver – later identified as Herrera-Mondello – refused to stop.

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Prosecutors said Herrera-Mondello speeded recklessly through a residential neighborhood and repeatedly fired a semi-automatic weapon at officers during the pursuit. One of the bullets hit a nearby house.

The 10-minute chase ended when the fleeing vehicle reached a dead end near 38th Avenue and Wallace Avenue. Police said Herrera-Mondello then got out of the vehicle and ran into the Avondale neighborhood of Sacramento.

Prosecutors said Herrera-Mondello ran to the back of a house and tried to get in by kicking the garage door and breaking a window. When that didn't work, he jumped over a fence into another backyard and broke into the house by firing a shot into the rear glass door.

A resident of the house heard a burglar enter and ran out the front door. The police surrounded the house. The The police SWAT team, crisis negotiators and aerial drone teams were called into the house.

A few hours had passed with little to no movement in the surrounded home when several officers stationed outside the home reported shots being fired at them. Prosecutors said Herrera-Mondello, who was in the attic and firing at officers from a vent not visible to officers, continued to fire at officers and SWAT team members.

Officers used armored vehicles to get closer to the home while facing gunfire. Shortly after the shots were fired at the officers, the SWAT team fired tear gas into the home, according to prosecutors.

Around 8:30 p.m., Herrera-Mondello left the home and was taken into custody. Prosecutors said at no point did police return fire. Police said no residents or officers were injured in the incident; Herrera-Mondello suffered minor injuries.

Prosecutors said officers searched the home and found two semi-automatic handguns and two 9mm handguns without serial numbers. Officers also found two empty 9mm ammunition magazines with a capacity of 21 and 10 bullets.

According to the district attorney's office, all 16 shell casings collected along the path of the police pursuit, the stolen vehicle and the homes involved were fired from one of the handguns found at the home where Herrera-Mondello was for more than three hours long hidden.

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