Trending Topics

Parolee Sought in Shooting of CHP Officer

San Francisco Chronicle

A manhunt was taking place Saturday night for a parolee who shot a CHP officer while trying to flee law enforcement officers in Watsonville -- about 75 miles south of San Francisco -- earlier in the day, according to authorities.

The officer, whose name was not released, was helping Santa Cruz County sheriff’s deputies pursue parole violator Donald Bochat, 31, who was wanted on weapons charges and was stopped at 10:52 a.m., said police operations supervisor Kevin Fink.

Driving his white Ford Explorer at speeds of up to 80 mph, police said, Bochat struck a pedestrian, crashed into other vehicles at the intersection of Green Valley Road and Main Street, and engaged in a gunfight with officers, during which the CHP officer was hit. The suspect then carjacked a Ford Ranger pickup, which he later abandoned. Blood evidence recovered in the vehicle indicated the suspect had been injured, Fink said. The manhunt for the suspect, who was believed to be armed and dangerous, was centering around Watsonville Airport.

CHP Officer Jason Butler said that there was a $500,000 arrest warrant out for Bochat and that he has a history of firearms, drug possession and sex offenses. The injured officer, shot in his left leg, and the pedestrian were hospitalized but not seriously injured, Fink said.