Sonora officer in shootout ‘very lucky,’ examination of uniform reveals

Investigators still are piecing together what happened before and during a shootout with a suspect in downtown Sonora over the weekend, but the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office on Monday shared some details – including how “very lucky” an injured police officer was.

During the incident, the Sonora police officer and a bystander were injured, and the suspect, 29-year-old Bruce Snyder, was killed.

Sheriff’s Sgt. Scott Johnson said the names of the injured and the officers involved in the shooting will not be released until the investigation – estimated to take several weeks – is complete.

He did say both were treated and released from Sonora Regional Medical Center, and that the officer was “very lucky” he wasn’t seriously injured.

The bullet hit the officer’s duty belt, preventing it from penetrating his skin. “He was grazed by the bullet,” Johnson said. “It would have been a lot worse had it not struck the belt; the femoral arteries, your abdominal cavity, are in that area.”

Johnson said investigators learned Sunday that the officer nearly was hit a second time when they examined his uniform and discovered a bullet hole that went through one of his pant legs.

The incident began about 10 p.m. Saturday when a man called 911 to report that Snyder had threatened him with a gun. Snyder was gone when officers arrived, but the resident gave a description of the blue El Camino he was driving.

Another officer on his way to the scene saw the El Camino and attempted to pull it over, but Snyder failed to yield and continued south onto Washington Street.

Snyder stopped his car in the middle of Washington at Theall Street, turned north toward the pursuing officer and opened fire, Johnson said. The officer returned fire until Snyder got back in his car and continued south.

The officer followed Snyder to Highway 108, where three sheriff’s deputies joined the pursuit.

Johnson didn’t know Monday what speeds the pursuit reached, but said Snyder ran at least one red light.

After exiting westbound Highway 108, the suspect turned north onto Stockton Street/Highway 49 and back onto Washington. This time, Snyder went north, where he again stopped in the middle of the street, just yards from the location of the first shooting, Johnson said.

Bystander struck by bullet

At the time, officers were unaware that, during the first shooting, a woman visiting from North Carolina had been struck in the torso by a stray bullet while standing on the sidewalk. Johnson said a witness went to her aid and flagged down an ambulance that was driving through the area with another patient.

Paramedics were tending to the gunshot victim when the pursuit came full circle about five minutes later and the second shootout began.

That’s when the officer was wounded and the suspect was fatally shot by return fire from the officer and two deputies.

Johnson said he didn’t know how many people were on the street during the gunbattle but said foot traffic is light that time of night.

He said some people inside a few restaurants and bars ran to the back of the businesses when the gunfire began and evacuated out of the back of the buildings.

Two deputies and the Sonora police officer involved in the shooting will remain on paid administrative leave until the investigation is complete.

One of the deputies is a 22-year veteran while the other started his law enforcement career just four months ago. He was in the “shadow phase” of training, meaning a plainclothed deputy was riding with him as an observer. Johnson said that training officer was armed, but he could not speculate as to why he was not involved in the shooting.

Johnson said the state Department of Justice is helping with the investigation. He said one of the primary goals will be to determine how many shots were fired and by whom as well as where they ended up. It’s still unclear who shot the bystander and Snyder.

Criminal record

Snyder was on parole after being released from prison in 2012 for a conviction of assault with the deadly weapon.

As part of a plea agreement in 2005, Snyder pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer and evading, in exchange for 270 days in jail and five years of probation.

In 2009, he was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon, his probation was revoked and he was sentenced to prison.

A glimpse at Snyder’s Facebook page shows posts that depict a conflicted person and comments from friends who wanted to support and help him.

On Oct. 17, he reacted to a video of a police officer calling a dog toward him before shooting it: “F--- him. Ill kill him. f--- cops.”

A few weeks later, he wrote, “Never been so sick n my life. Stopped taking pain pills after 4 years. I kno when I’m over this withdraw s--- I will feel good agin. It’s hard as f--- tho. Now I kno why the call it kicking. I toss n turn all night legs kicking hot cold sweats.”

Johnson said investigators are awaiting toxicology results to determine if Snyder was under the influence Saturday night.

Johnson asked anyone who witnessed the shootings, particularly anyone who might have audio or video recordings of them, to call the Sheriff’s Office detective division at (209) 694-2900.

This story was originally published November 24, 2014 at 8:01 PM with the headline "Sonora officer in shootout ‘very lucky,’ examination of uniform reveals."