Prunedale officer-involved shooting suspect identified
SALINAS, Calif. (KION-TV): The District Attorney's Office of Monterey County confirmed the identity of the suspect in a Prunedale officer-involved shooting investigation.
Christopher Craig Markert made his first court appearance Tuesday afternoon and is facing multiple charges stemming from everything which led up to the officer-involved shooting incident on Sunday afternoon on Strawberry Cyn Road in Prunedale.
These charges include assault on a peace officer or firefighter, vehicle theft and evading police.
The D.A. confirmed Markert was the suspect that the Monterey County Sheriff's Office deputies and CHP were attempting to locate on Sunday.
The D.A.'s office says Markert is accused of using a vehicle as a weapon against a CHP officer.
When asked if the CHP officer was okay or had suffered any major injuries, the D.A. said they could not provide that information.
We have also reached out to CHP for comment on the investigation and condition of the CHP officer and have not heard back.
Meanwhile, Markert, is no stranger to criminal activity as a whole.
Markert has an active case involving the burglary of a vehicle dating back to March of this year.
This time, Markert is believed to have been driving a stolen vehicle and was evading police at some point leading up to the officer-involved shooting.
A citation written by CHP for the stolen vehicle investigation shows Markert stole the vehicle from a Watsonville resident.
In a previous report from KION, we found the Sheriff's Office claiming to have "not fired" a shot, while the Salinas Police Department says their part in the investigation was mostly to provide K-9 units.
The CHP, meanwhile, has not provided comment and continues to direct our questions to to the D.A. as the investigation continues.
Markert's next court appearance is December 3rd, however questions remain about the investigation as a whole.
