Monterey jury convicts man of assault after police shot, paralyzed him in 2019
MONTEREY (CBS SF/BCN) – A Monterey County Superior Court jury recently convicted a man of assaulting a peace officer and other charges for actions he took prior to being shot and paralyzed by officers in 2019, the Monterey County District Attorney announced Wednesday.
The jury found 27-year-old Ari Gold, of Salinas, guilty of four charges: assault with a semiautomatic firearm on a peace officer, brandishing a firearm in the presence of a peace officer, driving under the influence of a drug and hit-and-run.
Before trial, Gold had pleaded no contest to stealing a car, according to an announcement Wednesday from Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine Pacioni.
The convictions stem from a series of incidents July 23, 2019, after Gold smoked a substantial amount of marijuana and methamphetamine, prosecutors said.
After stealing a vehicle from Monterey, Gold drove to his grandmother's house in the Toro Park neighborhood of Monterey County, in the process violating a condition of his probation. While en route, Gold crashed into a parked car and fled the scene before witnesses reported that he arrived at the unoccupied home of his grandmother.
Officers arrived and found Gold hiding behind a shower curtain in the master bathroom of the house.
Police said that Gold refused commands to get down on the floor and instead grabbed a loaded .45-caliber handgun and pointed it at one officer.
Officers responded by shooting a total of 44 rounds at Gold, with two shots hitting him. Gold did not fire his weapon, according to the District Attorney's Office.
The account reported that one officer was in the doorway of the bathroom when she fired at Gold and the other was in the next room firing through a wall.
One of the bullets that hit Gold struck him in the upper spine and paralyzed him. He was found with a pellet rifle on his lap and the loaded .45 handgun a few feet away, prosecutors said.
Gold's sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 6, when he faces a maximum sentence of 10 years and eight months in prison.