By Doug Saunders
San Bernardino County Sun
VICTORVILLE, Calif. — An Ontario man who was acquitted of murder in a Victorville court in 2009 was arrested Sunday night, accused of attempted murder of a sheriff’s deputy.
Shawn Marcelo Munoz, 31, was arrested in the 13800 block of Apple Creek Drive in Victorville Sunday night after allegedly shooting at a deputy in an apparent ambush attempt, according to sheriff’s records.
Around 9:45 p.m., the deputy, who was in the middle of conducting a traffic stop near Hesperia Road and Green Tree Boulevard in Victorville, was fired on by a driver in a silver Chrysler 300 sedan driving toward him, sheriff’s officials said in a written statement.
The sedan slowed and a window on the driver’s side was lowered halfway when the deputy saw muzzle flashes and heard four gunshots coming from the car, sheriff’s officials said.
Munoz allegedy drove north on Hesperia Road as the deputy returned fire.
Detectives investigating the incident found the car with evidence of the shooting a few blocks away from where it happened, sheriff’s officials said.
After getting a search warrant, detectives arrested Munoz, recovering a .45-caliber pistol with ammunition, a Mini-14 rifle with two 30-round magazines and gang paraphernalia, sheriff’s officials said.
Munoz was booked into the Victor Valley jail on suspicion of attempted murder of a peace officer and is being held in lieu of $1 million.
In 2005, Munoz was charged with two counts of murder with a gang enhancement in the shooting deaths of two teens. In 2009, after a 12-day trial and an hour of deliberation the jury acquitted Munoz of all charges.
None of the witnesses could identify Munoz as the shooter in either the courtroom or photo line-ups during the trial, and the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office had a circumstantial case against Munoz, according to previous reports.
Copyright 2014 the San Bernardino County Sun