Deputy Fired At, Third Time in 9 months
Police markings at scene where suspects fired at deputy on Willow Tree Lane near Toppenish
The Yakima county sheriff is determined to find the people who fired shots at one of his deputies over the weekend.
The deputy was trying to stop a car near Toppenish when two men opened fire at him.
What started out as a routine traffic stop on Willow Tree Lane outside Toppenish this weekend, turned out to be a fight for life for one Yakima county sheriff's deputy.
Just after midnight on Saturday, deputy Jesse Rojas tries to stop a slow moving car filled with people, when shots rang out.
"All of a sudden, people popped out of each window of each side of the back seat and started shooting," says Sheriff Ken Irwin.
You can still see markings that show where bullet casings fell on the road.
Deputy Rojas drove his car into the field to take cover from the bullets that kept coming.
"The gang members, or whoever they were, continued to shoot even when they were out on Fort Road, over his head," says Sheriff Irwin.
The suspects' car was later found miles away in Harrah, burned.
The shooting is the third time a sheriff's deputy has been fired on while on the job. Fortunately for Deputy Rojas, none of the shots fired hit him.
Last summer a deputy was hit while responding to shots fire near Uutlook. He survived.
Last December, thieves stealing a snowblower shot at a deputy trying to stop them.
And after five police officers are killed in western Washington last year, the sheriff is alarmed by all the violence some aim at police officers.
"They may be poor, in a lot of instances, so what if I got killed, that reality is not there, those consequences," says the sheriff.
The shootings are not making the deputies any less vigilent in their duty. In fact, the sheriff says his guys are even more determined to catch bad guys.
"You're thankful he wasn't hurt, angry because it did happen, and determined that you're going to get these people," he says.
Detectives traced the car to a Toppenish address.
They're looking for 21 year old Pedro Godines-Jiminez. He's Hispanic, 5'6" tall and weighs 170 pounds.
If you have any information on his whereabouts, call the Yakima County sheriff's office at 509-574-2500, or Crimestoppers at 1-800-248-9980.