PITTSBURG, CA—An Oakley man has been formally charged with attempting to shoot and kill a Pittsburg policeman inside the city’s police station, after he allegedly snuck a gun past another officer during his arrest and booking, court records show.

Michael Arthur-Sanchez Martin, 31, was charged with attempting to murder Pittsburg police Officer Jimmy Sanchez, assault with a firearm, and possessing a gun as a felon, authorities said. Prosecutors say at around 3:45 p.m. on Sept. 3, Martin pulled a gun he’d concealed inside the jail and shot Sanchez in the stomach, simultaneously shooting himself in the foot.

Pittsburg police Chief Phil Galer released a lengthy statement Tuesday afternoon, praising Sanchez’s heroism in fighting back and disarming the man who was allegedly trying to kill him, even after suffering a gunshot wound that went all the way through his torso. Galer also said it appears the officer who arrested Martin that day on suspicion of driving a stolen car with a pending arrest warrant for gun possession was responsible for a “serious failure” and twice failed to detect the gun.

Galer has not named the officer who arrested Martin, a convicted killer who was released from state prison in 202, after serving seven years of an eight-year prison term for voluntary manslaughter. Martin had been originally charged with murder to benefit a criminal street gang, but took a plea deal in 2016, records show.

The day of the shooting, police arrested Martin in a stolen car and realized he had an active warrant for a gun case out of Brentwood. Galer said the officer searched Martin twice — once during the arrest and once during booking downtown. Both times, the officer failed to find the gun, he said.

“That was a serious failure. We acknowledge it, and it will be thoroughly examined through an administrative investigation,” Galer said in a written statement. “We will determine how it happened and take immediate corrective action to prevent it from happening again.”

Inside a holding cell, Martin allegedly concealed the gun in a metal toilet and in a blanket he requested from a staffer. Later, he asked Sanchez for a cup of water, then punched Sanchez when he was districted, threw the blanket on his head, and fired his gun, authorities allege.

The bullet hit Martin in the thigh, and travelled through his body into Sanchez, hitting the officer just below his body armor, authorities said. Despite the gunshot wound, Sanchez “did not stop fighting,” Galer said.

“His actions prevented the suspect from firing another round and gave responding officers the time they needed to enter the facility, disarm the suspect and end the attack. Those officers responded without hesitation and demonstrated extraordinary courage, discipline and restraint,” Galer said, later adding that, “Officer Sanchez survived because he refused to give up. He survived because he fought through a brutal attack, a gunshot wound, and because he and his fellow officers physically ripped a gun away from Martin’s hands.”

Martin has not yet been arraigned in the attempted murder case. Last week, he was wheeled into court in a wheelchair to make an appearance in the 2025 gun case. He appeared semi-conscious during the entire hearing, which began with a judge observing that he appeared to be asleep. Even after a bailiff woke him up, Martin slumped over in his wheelchair, inside a courtroom bullpen, occasionally jerking and opening his eyes.

After a judge ordered Martin detained on $450,000 bail, citing the need to protect the public from him, Martin was wheeled away to return to county jail.

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