Suspect in Chinatown shooting charged with attempted murder of a police officer

SALINAS, Calif. (KION) The suspect in a Chinatown-area attempted murder has been charged with three counts of attempted murder of a police officer.

The suspect, 42-year-old Daniel Macias-Victoria, was in critical condition at last check after an officer-involved shooting. He is also charged with felony evasion of a police officer and being a convicted felon in possession of a gun.

On Dec. 11, an officer tried to stop Macias-Victoria for vehicle code violations, but police said he did not stop and led officers on a chase. During that chase, they said he fired a handgun twice at an officer in a patrol car behind him.

Police shot back at Macias-Victoria and hit him with five rounds on Old Stage Road. A semi-automatic handgun was later found next to the driver's side of his truck, according to Salinas police.

Because of the extent of Macias-Victoria's injuries, an arraignment has not been scheduled. The case is being investigated by the Monterey County District Attorney's Office.

Salinas police said he is suspected of shooting a person in the Chinatown area earlier this month. The victim is out of the hospital, but police have not said how Macias-Victoria became a suspect in the case.

Macias-Victoria has been a suspect in a crime prior to the shooting in Chinatown. Three women claimed that he touched them inappropriately when they were children. After a year-long investigation, Macias-Victoria was charged with lewd acts with a child under the age of 14 and continuous lewd acts with a child under the age of 14.

This incident was the eighth officer-involved shooting in Monterey County this year- the most in the last five years.