Man guilty of attempted murder for shooting at Roseville police officer, Placer DA says
A Placer County jury last week found a man guilty of attempted murder for firing a gun at a Roseville police officer during a vehicle chase two years ago on Interstate 80, prosecutors said .
Rafael Vital, 27, also was found guilty of evading a police officer and assault with a semiautomatic firearm in connection with the shooting, according to a news release from the Placer County District Attorney’s Office. Vital’s trial began with jury selection Jan. 12 and ended Jan. 20 with the verdict.
The police chase began about 2 a.m. on April 20, 2021, when an officer tried to pull over the vehicle for a traffic stop near Harding and Douglas boulevards, the Roseville Police Department has said. The vehicle did not pull over, and the pursuit ensued.
The pursuit continued onto I-80 heading west. The suspect driver, later identified as Vital, fired two gunshots at the officer in the vehicle chasing him, prosecutors said.
Police said the suspect vehicle exited the freeway at Riverside Avenue in Roseville, where the vehicle became disabled. It’s unclear how the vehicle became disabled.
Vital got out of the vehicle, police said, and authorities began a search for the suspect. The westbound lanes of I-80 in that area were shutdown for about four hours before they were re-opened. Police told nearby residents to shelter in place and report any suspicious activity as they searched for the suspect who was considered “armed and dangerous.”
About 6:30 a.m., the Police Department announced that the suspect was found and taken into custody without further incident.
On Tuesday, Vital remained in custody at the Placer County Jail. He’s scheduled to return on Feb. 15 to Placer Superior Court for sentencing.
