A former fugitive who evaded El Cajon Police by ramming a sergeant’s vehicle was sentenced March 9 to six years in state prison.
Ali Latef Alkhafaji, 28, was given credit for approximately 1½ years in jail since his arrest on July 30, 2013, by El Cajon Superior Court Judge John Thompson, who denied probation.
A former fugitive who evaded El Cajon Police by ramming a sergeant’s vehicle was sentenced March 9 to six years in state prison.
Ali Latef Alkhafaji, 28, was given credit for approximately 1½ years in jail since his arrest on July 30, 2013, by El Cajon Superior Court Judge John Thompson, who denied probation.
Deputy District Attorney Will Watkins said Alkhafaji would have to serve 80 percent of the 6-year term before he will be paroled. The incident in the 1300 block of N. Johnson Ave. at 2 p.m. resulted in no injury to the sergeant.
Alkhafaji also attempted to ram a California Highway Patrol officer who fired several rounds at Alkhafaji’s vehicle. He was not hit and got out of the car, prompting a search. Alkhafaji was found hiding under a vehicle in the 700 block of Gable Way.
A jury convicted him of felony evasion of police on July 9, 2014. Alkhafaji was also convicted in another trial of possession of a small amount of methamphetamine, giving false information to police, delaying an officer, and stealing a bicycle from the Cajon Valley Community Day Middle School, at 165 Roanoke Road in El Cajon.
At the time of the second trial, some of the charges were felonies, but after the voter-approved Prop. 47 passed in Nov., they became misdemeanors because the value of the items were less than $950, said Watkins.
Thompson imposed two 180-day jail terms on the other charges, but ordered they run concurrent to the 6-year term. Alkhafaji was a fugitive on the other charges when the ramming incident with El Cajon Police occurred. He has a prior conviction for burglary and theft, records show.
Spring Valley man released from jail
Kamran Dean Guster, 26, of Spring Valley, has been released from jail after being sentenced to one year in custody after he pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly weapon in the shooting of a neighbor.
Guster was placed on three years probation Feb. 11 and was sentenced for the Sept. 9, 2014, wounding of another man in the 3100 block of Sweetwater Springs Blvd. at 10:34 p.m.
Sheriff’s deputies recovered a pistol and the incident followed a physical altercation between both men. The prosecutor said Guster is a veteran and he was screened as a candidate for probation in veteran’s court.
Lakeside couple on probation after jail terms
A Lakeside couple has been placed on probation and finished jail terms for a bizarre robbery involving an improvised flamethrower at a Home Depot store in Poway in which no one was injured.
Ignacio Lorenzo Brambila, 37, and Sarrah M. Brambila, 35, were both sentenced to 210 days in jail they had already served since the Sept. 6, 2014, incident. San Diego Superior Court Judge Timothy Walsh placed the husband wife on five and four years’ probation respectively.
Ignacio Brambila pleaded guilty to robbery of a store employee by picking up a flammable substance in a spray can and using a lighter to ignite the spray. He also pleaded guilty to child endangerment and driving under the influence of a drug.
Sarrah Brambila pleaded to robbery and child endangerment in which she was the driver who had the couple’s 18-month-old son in the car. The couple was released for treatment in a drug program, according to court records.
Ignacio Brambila took tools out of Home Depot in a baby stroller and used the spray can and lighter to threaten an employee in the 10:10 p.m. incident. Sheriff’s deputies arrested the couple in a traffic stop.
Ignacio Brambila was also accused of being under the influence of methamphetamine, possession of narcotics paraphernalia, burglary, and making a criminal threat, but these charges were dismissed.
