A 23-year-old felon made his first appearance in court Thursday on charges of shooting a friend as they got into a dispute while driving in Santa Ana.
Christopher Samael Sandoval were driving in a Chevrolet pickup truck in the 1700 block of North English Street in Santa Ana about 2:50 p.m. on Sept. 6 when he and a friend got into a dispute, according to Santa Ana Police Department Cpl. Anthony Bertagna.
Sandoval pulled out a gun and shot his friend, who was driving, in the head, Bertagna alleged.
It is not clear what happened next, but Sandoval bailed out of the car and was found an hour later hiding in a closet of a residence several blocks away, Bertagna said.
The victim was rushed to a hospital and survived the injuries, Bertagna said.
Sandoval was charged Wednesday with a count of attempted murder, assault with a semiautomatic firearm and possession of a firearm by a felon, all felonies. He also faces sentencing enhancements for attempted premeditated murder, discharge of a firearm causing great bodily injury, inflicting great bodily injury and the personal use of a firearm.
Sandoval pleaded guilty in March 2018 to stealing a car and driving drunk. He was initially sentenced to 90 days in jail, but has served more time in jail since then due to probation violations, according to court records.
Sandoval’s arraignment on Thursday was rescheduled for Dec. 6 in the jail courtroom in Santa Ana.
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