SAN ANTONIO -- A man shot by police Sunday at a North Side emergency center after officials said he attacked two officers -- knocking one unconscious -- has been charged with attempted capital murder of a police officer.
Darryn Burgess, 40, was also charged Monday with taking a weapon from a police officer and assault on a public servant. His bail was set at a combined $100,000, according to arrest records.
Officer Yvette Meade, an eight-year veteran and the officer who shot Burgess, was struck in the face during the fight and was knocked out, police said in a news release. She was treated and released.
Her partner, Officer Roberto Aguilar, a five-year veteran, was in stable condition at University Hospital. Aguilar was shot in the leg during a struggle with Burgess when he tried to take the officer's weapon, police said.
The melee erupted around 12:15 p.m. Sunday when Burgess was at Christus Santa Rosa emergency care center at Alon Town Centre in the 11500 block of NW Military Highway.
Burgess was in the emergency room of the center when staff called police because he was in "mental distress," San Antonio police Sgt. Javier Salazar stated in a news release.
A relative had taken Burgess to the center for medical treatment, but when his behavior became erratic staff felt threatened so they called police.
Meade and Aguilar tried to take him into custody for an emergency detention, which isn't an arrest but allows for a preliminary mental health evaluation when a person is shown to be a threat to himself or others.
Described as "very large in stature," Burgess began to fight with Meade and Aguilar, Salazar said. The officers tried using a Taser but that had no effect, he added.
Police said after Burgess struck Meade in the face and knocked her out, he began to fight with Aguilar over the officer's gun.
During the struggle, the gun went off and Aguilar was shot in the leg.
Salazar said when Meade regained consciousness she again joined the fight in trying to subdue Burgess, but she didn't know her partner had been shot. Soon realizing that Burgess was gaining the upper hand, she fired at him once in the torso, Salazar said.
Burgess was taken to University Hospital, where he was treated and released into police custody later that night.
Attempts to reach Burgess' family Monday were unsuccessful.
Burgess has a lengthy criminal history that includes arrests for robbery and possession of a prohibited weapon, but most of the charges have been nonviolent, according to a public records search.
Authorities in Balcones Heights, San Antonio and Castle Hills have all at one point arrested him for burglary of a coin-operated machine, arrest records show. He also has been arrested on drug possession charges.
A spokeswoman for Christus Santa Rosa said the emergency center was closed until 10 p.m. Sunday because of the police investigation.
Because of privacy laws, no specific information was available on why Burgess was taken to the center.
Copyright 2013 - San Antonio Express-News
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
