Man convicted of pointing gun at Pasco police officers during traffic stop
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- Jury convicted Ayala-Pineda of assault and drug charges after 7-day trial.
- Police say Ayala-Pineda pointed a laser-equipped gun at two Pasco officers.
- Sentencing set for Oct. 7; gun use adds 11 years to possible 38-year term.
A 38-year-old man faces nearly four decades in prison after pointing a gun at two Pasco police officers during a stop on Road 68 five years ago.
A Franklin County jury deliberated a little more than a day before convicting Santiago Ayala-Pineda of first- and second-degree assault, possession of fentanyl with the intent to deliver, illegally possessing a gun and reckless endangerment.
They also found he used a gun in the two assaults and the drug charges, court documents said. The use of the gun carries an additional 11 years in prison. This is on top of between 20 and 26 1/2 years in prison for the first-degree assault.
His sentencing is scheduled on Oct. 7.
Ayala-Pineda has denied that he intended to shoot the two Pasco officers who were looking for him because of Benton County warrants.
The seven-day trial that wrapped up on Wednesday was the second for Ayala-Pineda. The last attempt in May ended in a mistrial after witness testimony violated pretrial motions.
In July 2020, a U.S. Marshals task force was searching for Ayala-Pineda because of an outstanding arrest warrant in Benton County for assault and illegally possessing a firearm.
The task force asked for help from Pasco police to confirm that Ayala-Pineda was inside a silver SUV. The officers stopped it on Road 68, court documents said.
Two Pasco officers, Detective Andrew Corral and Sgt. Scott Warren, were among the officers who approached the car. They found him lying on the floor, court documents said.
Corral saw a laser move across this face, just moments before noticing something next to the man. When Warren yelled “gun,” Corral fired a shot that hit Ayala-Pineda in the stomach, court documents said.
Corral told investgators that he feared for his and Warren’s safety along with an infant strapped into a car seat just inches from Ayala-Pineda.
Wanted for another shooting
Police were looking for Ayala-Pineda in late July 2020 in connection with the shooting of a 38-year-old man in Benton County, according to court documents.
The U.S. Marshal’s task force — made up of federal agents, Kennewick police, Benton County deputies and state Department of Corrections officers — knew he was wanted and actively evading police, court documents said.
The man had used family, friends and other associates for rides and to move around, court documents said.
The task force received a court order that allowed them to track Ayala-Pineda’s cellphone in real time.
Then on July 30, the task force tracked the phone to a Richand home that Ayala was known to stay at. As they watched the home that afternoon, they saw a man, who ducked into the back seat of a silver SUV.
The SUV was owned by a Pasco man, who was spotted in the driver’s seat. Police tracked the SUV as it drove through Richland, first heading onto eastbound Highway 240, before turning back west and getting onto Interstate 182. .
When they arrived in Pasco, the owner’s girlfriend began driving. She put their infant into the backseat, while Ayala-Pineda stayed out of view.
Officers asked for help from Pasco’s Street Crimes Unit to stop the car.
Assault on Road 68
Corral saw the SUV on Road 68, turning onto the eastbound highway on-ramp, and signaled for it to stop.
Investigators believe Ayala-Pineda took this opportunity to get into the floor between the front and back seats. He started piling stuff on top of himself in an attempt to hide.
Corral, Warren and two other fellow Street Crimes Unit detectives approached the car to talk to the woman driving and the man inside the vehicle.
The dark tinted windows only allowed detectives to see the infant in the backseat, court documents said. But the tracking on Ayala-Pineda’s phone showed him inside.
The detectives returned and surrounded the SUV. This time, Warren spotted shoes on the backseat floorboard. Warren and Corral opened the rear, passenger door and immediately identified Ayala-Pineda, lying face down away from them, court documents said. His head was 6 inches away from the infant child.
Detectives gave “clear, repeated, loud commands for Ayala-Pineda to follow, court documents said.
At the time, Corral told other officers that he spotted something. Then Ayala-Pineda began to turn, and a laser moved across Corral’s face. Warren spotted the gun and yelled.
Corral fired once, hitting Ayala-Pineda in the stomach, court documents said.
After being shot, Ayala-Pineda followed commands. He was taken to a local hospital for treatment.
Police found a silver revolver with five bullets on Ayala-Pineda’s chest. When the detective held the grip, a red laser lit up, court documents said.
Police also found more than 150 fentanyl pills and methamphetamine in Ayala-Pineda’s clothing. They also discovered $350 in cash and a list of names and phone numbers, court documents said.