A California sheriff is calling for immigration reform in his state after he says sanctuary city policies freed a violent illegal immigrant who went on to shoot a police officer and lead cops on a wild, high-speed chase.
Guadalupe Lopez-Herrara, 51, was taken into custody Thursday, a day after the Merced County’s Sheriff’s Office says Lopez-Herrara shot a deputy attempting to arrest him for allegedly violating a restraining order, FOX26 reported.
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Guadalupe Lopez-Herrara, 51, was taken into custody Thursday after the Merced County’s Sheriff’s Office says he is suspected of shooting a deputy. (Merced County’s Sheriff’s Office)
“This person is not a legal citizen within the United States,” Merced Sheriff Vernon Warnke said at a press conference Thursday. “We had him in our custody in January of this year. And because of the folks in Sacramento limiting our ability to cooperate with ICE, we could not turn him over.”
The deputy, a sergeant with the sheriff’s office, sustained non-life threatening injuries after police say Lopez-Herrara, described as a known violent criminal, shot him in the leg and vest Wednesday.
A shootout subsequently broke out between Lopez-Herrara and deputies — but Lopez-Herrara managed to hide behind shrubbery and open fire, pinning down cops long enough to allow his escape. – READ MORE