Bay Point homicide suspect charged with murder

BAY POINT, CA

Prudencio Rubio, 30, has been charged with murder with an enhancement for the use of a gun, felony evading a peace officer and being a felon in possession of a gun, Cope said.

The shooting was initially reported shortly before 3 p.m. as a possible burglary in progress at a residence in the 1900 block of Calaveras Drive, near Willow Pass Road, Contra Costa County sheriff's spokesman Jimmy Lee said.

Moments later, the sheriff's office received a second call from someone inside the house reporting that a man was dead.

When deputies arrived, they found 35-year-old Hector Sanchez dead from multiple gunshot wounds, Lee said.

Detectives identified Rubio as the alleged shooter and began searching for his yellow Ford Escape sport utility vehicle.

Investigators believe the killing stemmed from an ongoing dispute between Rubio and Sanchez, Lee said. He said he could not release information about the nature of the dispute because the case is still under investigation.

Soon after the search for Rubio's SUV began, a deputy spotted it on state Highway 4 near state Highway 242 in Concord and requested assistance.

Deputies tried to stop Rubio, but he allegedly fled, Lee said. California Highway Patrol officers joined the pursuit and chased Rubio from Concord to Pittsburg and back to Concord.

Near the Highway 242 and Port Chicago Highway exits, CHP officers deployed spike strips, CHP officer Tom Maguire said.

He said that up to three of the SUV's tires popped, but Rubio still didn't stop. Instead, he turned around and drove the other way.

Throughout the pursuit, Rubio periodically pointed a gun at his head, Lee said. He finally returned to the 1900 block of Calaveras Drive in Bay Point, where he stopped in the middle of the street.

While officers surrounded his vehicle, Rubio again pointed the gun at his head, Lee said.

The sheriff's office hostage negotiation team talked to him for about an hour before he surrendered.

He was arrested and taken by ambulance to a hospital to be to be treated for a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his leg, Lee said.

During the chase, a Concord police officer shot at Rubio's SUV near the Highway 242 off-ramp at Grant Avenue, but didn't hit him, Lee said.

During the standoff, county emergency officials issued a shelter-in-place order for nearby residents.

Rubio is scheduled to be arraigned Monday in Contra Costa County Superior Court in Pittsburg.

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