Man accused of throwing bombs at police during SF car chase appears in court
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- The man accused of tossing explosive devices out of a car window at police officers during a chase from San Francisco to the East Bay Sunday made his first appearance in court Wednesday.
The suspect, 42-year-old Daniel Garcia was stoic in court Wednesday, as he was arraigned on a dozen different charges.
"We do not ordinarily see someone attempt to detonate explosive devices around our very, very dense city," said San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins.
Garcia is accused of assaulting and attempting to rob someone at St. Peter and Paul Church Sunday night.
After police arrived, they say Garcia fled the area by car.
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In the ensuing chase, Garcia is alleged to have thrown multiple explosive devices out of his car window at officers.
He was finally taken into custody in the East Bay city of Martinez.
Jenkins says some of the charges her office has filed include: a count of second-degree attempted murder, as well as six counts of detonating an explosive device with intent to commit murder.
"I believe we have a strong case here. We have a vast amount of evidence to work with. He is facing life in prison," Jenkins said.
Garcia pleaded not guilty to all of the charges in court Wednesday.
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He is also currently dealing with other pending criminal matters - including a domestic violence case.
Besides that, Garcia was also found guilty in 2012 for detonating a bomb under the car of one of his then tenants.
Legal experts say this time around, Garcia's past could weigh on any potential sentencing.
"If the person is found guilty when it comes in time for sentencing, then the judge is going to consider a range of factors and someone's criminal history can make the punishment more severe," said Jon Abel of UC Law San Francisco.
Garcia is scheduled to appear in court again on Thursday to set a preliminary hearing date.
Jenkins says she plans on keeping Garcia in custody due to the threat he poses to public safety.
"We are absolutely fortunate as a city the the police officers weren't hurt, who this very well could have had grave impact to. And that it didn't spill over and harm any other innocent civilians in the area," Jenkins said.
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