A 20-year-old Tucson man is facing between 7 1/2 and 21 years in prison after being convicted Tuesday of shooting at a Tucson police officer last August, said Deputy Pima County Attorney Julie Sottosanti.
A Pima County Superior Court jury convicted Sergio Rojo-Valenzuela of attempted first-degree murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Judge Scott Rash will sentence him March 12.
On Aug. 12, police received a 911 call about several men pointing guns at people at a carwash at West Irvington Road and South Liberty Avenue. Officers were told two of the men had rifles and handguns, and one was wearing tactical armor.
Officers saw the men leaving in a dark-blue 2007 Jeep Cherokee headed north into a nearby neighborhood.
Police followed the SUV, which came to a stop near South Liberty Avenue and West Aviation Drive, and the three men got out and ran in different directions.
An officer saw one man, later identified as Rojo-Valenzuela, jump over a wall into a backyard.
The officer began to get out of his vehicle when Rojo-Valenzuela popped up over the wall and began shooting at the officer, striking his patrol car several times. The officer was not hit but received minor injuries from broken glass, a police spokeswoman said at the time.
Rojo-Valenzuela and Jose Xavier Tapia-Palomo, 24, were arrested that day. Roberto Zavala, 25, who also uses the name Arxeniz Carrillo, was arrested three weeks later.
Police recovered two AK-47 rifles and an AR-15 rifle, a .40-caliber Glock handgun, 400 rounds of ammunition and a bulletproof vest from the vehicle.
Tapia-Palomo is awaiting trial on a weapons charge, and Zavala is awaiting trial on fleeing and other charges.
Copyright 2013 - The Arizona Daily Star, Tucson
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
