A carjacker who shot at officers and ran over a woman, Christopher John Garcia, was sentenced to 26 years in prison. Garcia pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a class two felony, two counts of armed robbery with a deadly weapon, a class two felony, and one count of possession of weapon by a prohibited person, a class four felony.
On October 14, 2017, Garcia carjacked a vehicle driven by a woman who was 30-weeks pregnant. During the incident, Garcia ran over the woman, then shot at twelve police officers before he was arrested near 7th Street and Broadway Road. Garcia also attempted to carjack two other victims, including a grandmother who had six children riding with her. At the time of the incident, Garcia was a five-time convicted felon who was not allowed to be in possession of a firearm.
In a victim impact statement read to the court, one victim detailed the life-changing incident and spoke about how it triggered ongoing anxiety. “The person I was prior to this event is a memory. Although the carjacking happened more than five years ago, it continues to impact me daily. I will only leave the house to go to work or pick up groceries. I still have nightmares related to the carjacking and I have experienced panic attacks while out in public.”