Bay City News—A big-rig driver has been sentenced to 20 years in state prison for shooting at two Oakland police officers three years ago.
Colin Todd, 44, of Alameda, was initially charged with two counts of attempted murder on a police officer as well as two counts of willful and premeditated attempted murder. He could have faced life in prison without the possibility of parole if he had been convicted of any of those charges. But the Alameda County District Attorney's Office recently allowed Todd to plead to two counts of the lesser charge of assault with a deadly weapon, and Judge Carrie Panetta approved the plea agreement at his sentencing hearing on Monday.
The charges stemmed from an incident that began at about 3:45 a.m. on Aug. 30, 2009, when the two officers noticed a flatbed big-rig weaving erratically in the 1100 block of 66th Avenue in Oakland.
The officers activated their lights and sirens, but Todd, who was driving the big-rig, didn't immediately pull over, according to police. The officers followed him until he stopped on an on-ramp to northbound Interstate Highway 880 just south of Coliseum Way.
Todd then got out of the big-rig and began firing at the two officers, police said. One of the officers returned fire, and the other was struck in the foot by a bullet, according to police. That officer was treated at a hospital and released.
After shooting at the officers, Todd got back into the big-rig and drove north on Highway 880, police said.
Other officers pursued Todd because the first officers' vehicle was riddled with bullet holes and wasn't working, he said. The pursuit ended on Highway 880 near the 3700 block of East Ninth Street when the big-rig drove into a guardrail and overturned.
Todd ran from the scene of the crash and managed to hide until just before 11:30 a.m. that day, when he was taken into custody, police said. Todd wasn't hit by gunfire and didn't need to be hospitalized, according to police.
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