A 28-year-old Huntington Beach man was sentenced Friday, April 15, to 35 years to life in prison for shooting at a Costa Mesa police officer and breaking into at least one homes before giving up after a 40-minute standoff.
Korrell Santana Kybor Cole was convicted Feb. 6, 2020, of attempted murder of a police officer, assault with a semiautomatic gun on a peace officer, burglary and falsely representing himself as a police officer, all felonies. Jurors acquitted him of one count of burglary and a count of grand theft was dismissed during the trial.
Cole, who is Black, said he was in fear for his life and fired a warning shot at white officers, said his attorney, Rob Harley.
Cole’s “one-man crime spree” began when Cole engaged in “one egregious act after another” on Jan. 30, 2016, as he attempted to elude police, prosecutor Matthew Plunkett said in his opening statement.
The prosecutor said Cole was driving a taxi cab that was struck by another vehicle on the 405 Freeway off-ramp at Harbor Boulevard the morning of the crime wave. The accident was not his fault.
A short distance from the accident, a Costa Mesa police officer spotted Cole walking with another man and ordered them to stop, but he was “uncooperative” until the officer threatened him with a stun gun, Plunkett said.
Cole sat still for just five seconds before running off, leading the officer on a fence-jumping chase until he lost sight of the suspect, Plunkett said.
A Costa Mesa police officer saw Cole near Pepper Tree Lane and Royal Palm Drive and yelled out of his squad car at Cole to stop, Plunkett said.
Cole was accused of pulling out a Glock handgun and firing a shot in the direction of Reitz, the prosecutor said. The bullet ended up in a Ford Ranger.
Cole then ran to at least one neighboring residence, claimed he was an officer to one resident, took personal items, including a BMW he tried to escape it, authorities have said, but was trapped and refused to surrender for 40 minutes.
Source: Orange County Register
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