StarBulletin.com

Driver faces life term in assault on officers


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POSTED: Wednesday, November 11, 2009

An Oahu man shot by police is facing the possibility of life in prison if convicted of assaulting two of the police officers who captured him in an allegedly stolen sport utility vehicle.

A grand jury indicted Jeremiah Lopez III, 23, on first-degree robbery, two counts of first-degree assault, car theft and other charges. The robbery charge normally carries a maximum prison term of 20 years.

But because Lopez is facing multiple felonies, his term could be extended to life in prison if he is convicted, said Jim Fulton, a spokesman for the Prosecutor's Office.

 

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The robbery charge was added to the motor vehicle theft charges when Lopez used the stolen car to injure police, according to the Prosecutor's Office.

Besides the first-degree robbery charge, Lopez faces multiple felony charges, including two counts of first-degree assault, Fulton said.

Lopez's bail is set at $200,000.

Police shot Lopez three times in the drive-through at KFC at Waikele Center on Nov. 3, after he allegedly tried to elude police in the vehicle he allegedly stole a day earlier.

Lopez was convicted in 2005 for a motor vehicle theft and resisting an order to stop, according to the prosecutor's office.

He completed his term of probation in 2008.