(FOX 5/KUSI) — A man accused of shooting a San Diego police officer during a foot chase in 2023 has been found guilty on all eight counts against him, including attempted murder.
JC Blake Sartor, 32, showed little emotion in court Tuesday as the verdict was read. The courtroom gallery was filled with fellow San Diego police officers, including Officer James Romero, the man Sartor was convicted of shooting.
“Peace officers have a difficult and dangerous job, and the verdict in this case reflects appreciation for that,” said Deputy District Attorney Clay Biddle.
The shooting occurred in June 2023 following a vehicle pursuit that ended in the Chollas Creek neighborhood. Prosecutors said Sartor fled from a stolen truck and opened fire while being chased on foot. Romero was struck in the arm.
Body camera footage captured the chase but not the shooting itself. Although the shooter was not caught on video, Romero testified that he was able to identify Sartor as the gunman.
“There’s numbness to it. I still get nerve shocks to the arm,” Romero said during the trial. He also described ongoing psychological trauma. “I would have nightmares, couldn’t sleep. Kept revisiting the scene, thinking I was going to die — hyperventilating, anxious.”
Defense attorney Loyst Fletcher acknowledged that the weapon, a so-called “ghost gun,” was in Sartor’s possession. However, he argued that questions remained about Sartor’s identity as the shooter due to conflicting witness descriptions and the brief nature of Romero’s encounter.
“He admitted that he only saw him for a very brief moment, and he was wearing a mask under his nose,” Fletcher said.
Prosecutors countered that Sartor’s fingerprints and DNA were found in the stolen vehicle, cellphone data placed him at the scene, and he reportedly gave detailed information about the shooting to a jailhouse informant.
“Officer Romero was extremely grateful for all the work his agency — the San Diego Police Department — and our office put into this case,” Biddle said. “He’s been grateful all along.”
A sentencing date has not been set. Sartor faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
