Vallejo police ID suspect who allegedly tried to shoot officers

Amy Hollyfield Image
ByAmy Hollyfield KGO logo
Monday, October 17, 2016
Vallejo police ID suspect who allegedly tried to shoot officers
Police say a gunman who confronted two officers at a Vallejo Starbucks Sunday evening targeted the pair minutes after casing the coffee shop.

VALLEJO, Calif. (KGO) -- Police say a gunman who confronted two officers at a Vallejo Starbucks Sunday evening targeted the pair minutes after casing the coffee shop.

The suspect has been identified as 41-year-old Suisun resident Adam Powell. Police say he is a convicted felon with robbery and drug-related offenses.

Vallejo Police Chief Andrew Bidou said at a press conference Monday that the officers were on a coffee break Sunday when Powell appeared in the doorway of the shop and "attempted to assassinate" them.

"Actions certainly indicate that the officers were particularly targeted. He drove by the location in a vehicle several minutes before he presented himself at the front doors and leveled his weapon at the officers," Vallejo Police Lt. Jeff Bassett said.

Police say the suspect had a high-capacity magazine that could hold 70 rounds.

Police say he was wearing body armor and tried to shoot the assault-style weapon, but it malfunctioned. He then fled on foot, and police chased him, shooting him three times.

Surveillance camera footage first obtained by ABC7 News shows him walking toward the Starbucks just before 9 p.m. The assault-style rifle isn't visible but police say he had one and pointed it at them inside the coffee shop.

Seconds later, you see the officers chasing him.

The showdown happened in a busy Starbucks next to I-80, which shares a parking lot with a large gas station.

"I come here every morning. I am glad I wasn't here that night," Fairfield resident Carl Morris said.

"I'm shocked. This is such a busy Starbucks. It's crazy," Vacaville resident Yvonne Estrada said.

Bidou said Powell is the father of a 2-year-old boy who was shot earlier Sunday in Suisun City. While Powell is a person of interest in the shooting of his child, police say all indications show that it was accidental. They say when they arrived at the scene, they couldn't find a gun or the boy's father.

Powell is said to currently be in critical condition at the hospital. His 2-year-old son is also in critical condition.

Both officers were unharmed in the incident.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.