Man sentenced to 100 years for police pursuit where he opened fire on officers in a residential neighborhood

SACRAMENTO, CA - Prosecutors announced that a judge sentenced a man to 100 years and six months to life in prison for a 2021 high-speed police pursuit in which he fired a gun at officers while driving recklessly through a neighborhood in Sacramento.

According to the Sacramento Bee, back in May a jury found Ismael Herrera-Mondello guilty on five counts of attempted murder of a police officer, seven counts of assault on a police officer with a semi-automatic firearm, and felony evasion of police. Herrera-Mondello was also convicted of vehicle theft, three counts of shooting at an inhabited home, and two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

On Friday, November 1st, Sacramento Superior Court Judge Peter Williams sentenced Herrera-Mondello for the incident that took place in 2021. As of Monday, November 4th, the 23-year-old remained in custody at the Sacramento County Main Jail, where he will await a transfer to prison.

On July 7, 2021, the police chase began around 5:00 p.m. when officers spotted a stolen vehicle near 65th Street and Fruitridge Road. According to the Sacramento Police Department (SPD), officers tried to pull over the stolen vehicle, but the driver, later identified as Herrera-Mondello, refused to stop.

Prosecutors said that Herrera-Mondello recklessly sped away through a residential neighborhood, repeatedly firing a semi-automatic firearm at officers while he drove. One of the stray bullets struck a nearby home. The police pursuit lasted 10-minutes when the fleeing vehicle reached a dead end near 38th and Wallace avenues. 

Police said that's when Herrera-Mondello got out of the car and ran into the Avondale neighborhood. He ran to the back of a home and tried to get inside by kicking the garage door and breaking a window. When that didn't work, he jumped over a fence into another backyard and broke into that home by firing a gunshot into the back glass door.

A resident inside the home heard an intruder enter and ran out of the front door. Police then surrounded the home. SPD's SWAT team, crisis negotiators, and aerial drone teams were also called to the home.

A few hours passed with little-to-no movement inside the surrounded house when several officers positioned themselves outside the home. In those moments, shots were fired at them. Prosecutors said that Herrera-Mondello, who was in the attic and was shooting at officers from a vent not visible to the officers, continued to fire at officers and SWAT team members.

Officers used armored vehicles to get closer to the home while facing gunfire. Shortly after the gunshots were fired at the officers, the SWAT team launched teargas into the home. Around 8:30 p.m., Herrera-Mondello came out of the home and was taken into custody without further incident.

Police did not return fire at any point during the incident. No residents or officers were injured during the incident. Herrera-Mondello suffered minor injuries from the incident. Upon searching the home, officers found two semi-automatic handguns and two 9 mm handguns without serial numbers.

The officers also found two empty 9 mm ammunition magazines capable of holding 21 and 10 bullets. All 16 shell casings collected along the path of the police pursuit, the stolen vehicle and affected homes were fired from one of the handguns found inside the home were Herrera-Mondello hid for more than three hours. According to ABC10, Herrera-Mondello is also suspected of stabbing and inmate in jail in January 2024. 
 
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