Ceres officers justified in shooting drunk driver described as ‘missile on wheels’

A Ceres police officer and sergeant have been found justified in the fatal shooting of a drunk driver who investigators say led them on a high-speed pursuit, then drove toward them in his pickup.

The Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office released its findings regarding the Oct. 22 shooting of 27-year-old Nicholas Adam Pimentel in a letter to Ceres Police Chief Brent Smith.

Sgt. Darren Venn pulled over Pimentel for speeding just after 1 a.m., then used his loudspeaker to order him to turn off the pickup’s engine.

Instead, Pimentel drove off and led deputies on an approximately eight-minute, high-speed pursuit, according to the letter. During the pursuit, he drove in excess of 100 mph, ran red lights, turned off the headlights and nearly collided with other vehicles, it says.

“He was described as ‘a missile on wheels that was just waiting to hit someone,’” the letter reads.

The pursuit ended near the intersection of Imperial Avenue and Ustick Road in south Modesto, when Venn hit Pimentel’s pickup using the PIT maneuver, causing it to spin out but not become disabled.

As Venn got out of his patrol car, Pimentel put the pickup in reverse and backed toward him, the letter said.

Venn, who later said he thought he was going to die, “dove back into his patrol car and braced for impact.” But Officer Ross Bays, who was second in line in the pursuit, pulled his patrol car into Pimentel’s path.

“He was saved by Off. Bays,” the letter reads.

The pickup hit Bays’ patrol car, and both came to rest against a parked car.

The letter said Pimentel then revved the truck engine, spinning the tires. He shifted from reverse to drive several times in an attempt to escape, it said.

Venn and Bays got out of their patrol vehicles and yelled at Pimentel to stop and show his hands, but he did not, according to the letter.

Bays noticed a woman in the passenger seat and changed his position so she was not in the line of fire.

He then saw Pimentel look directly at him, turn the truck’s tires at him and accelerate, according to the letter.

Bays and Venn both opened fire, shooting at Pimentel until he stopped accelerating the engine.

Life-saving measures were started on Pimentel, but he died at the scene. His blood alcohol content was later determined to be .28 percent.

The District Attorney’s Office concluded, “The shooting by Sgt. Venn and Off. Bays was in self defense and/or in the defense of others and to prevent the escape of a dangerous suspect.”

This story was originally published September 6, 2018 at 3:52 PM.