A parolee charged with shooting a deputy in the neck during an assault investigation had his case continued Wednesday, two days after the five-year anniversary of the incident.
Monolito Guerra, 34, stands accused of shooting Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station Deputy Albert White during an investigation into an alleged Nov. 28, 2017, assault at an apartment complex on Bottletree Lane in Newhall.
A woman reported a man had pointed a gun at her while she was in her parking space outside the apartment complex.
The woman drove off and dialed 911, prompting Guerra to flee and hide in the back of a Ford Fusion with a blanket over him, according to a 2019 District Attorney’s Office report on the shooting.
White found Guerra, saw him grab a revolver and ordered him to freeze. Guerra responded by propelling himself out of the vehicle and firing at White, according to the report. White was shot in the neck with a nonfatal wound, and Guerra was shot several times during an ensuing exchange of gunfire with deputies.
The deputy district attorney in charge of Guerra’s prosecution noted Tuesday that the delays in the case’s prosecution have stemmed from the fact that the defendant has changed attorneys numerous times since his case began.
“There’s no delay on our side, it’s just that he’s had several lawyers,” said Deputy District Attorney Eric Siddall, who added that the process “starts over again” when new counsel signs on to a case.
Prior to the 2017 shooting, Guerra was arrested Oct. 15, 2014, and ultimately sentenced to state prison on Feb. 2, 2016, to terms of four years, five years and eight months, to be served concurrently, for a pair of felony evading arrest and assault with a deadly weapon convictions, respectively, according to previous reporting in The Signal.
Homicide detectives noted that Guerra had served less than two years before being paroled in October 2017, just over a month before the shootout on Bottletree Lane.
