A convicted robber was charged Wednesday with opening fire on officers patrolling in Orange.
Victor Manuel Trinidad was charged with two counts of attempted murder and single counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, possession of a gun by a felon, and discharge of a gun at a dwelling, all felonies. He also faces sentencing enhancements for attempted premeditated murder, discharge of a firearm the personal use of a gun.
The shooting occurred at about 7:15 p.m. on Nov. 21, while officers were on patrol near Park Lane and Meats Avenue close to the Costa Mesa (55) Freeway, according to Lt. Phil McMullin of the Orange Police Department.
The officers escaped injury, McMullin said.
The officers assigned to the department’s gang unit were in an unmarked car when the defendant shouted out, “What’s up, homie, where you from?” before reaching for something in his waistband, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office alleged.
About 20 minutes later the officers, who recognized the defendant from prior encounters, returned to the area with an Orange County probation officer to look for Trinidad, prosecutors said.
The prosecutors said Trinidad “aggressively” approached the officers and opened fire on them as they exited their vehicle. The officers returned fire, prosecutors said.
Trinidad ran away but was found later hiding in a cabinet in a home nearby, according to authorities.
Trinidad pleaded guilty in May 2022 to robbery and was sentenced to two years of prison, according to court records. The defendant pleaded guilty in January 2021 to being an active participant in a gang carrying a loaded gun in public with a sentencing enhancement for gang activity as well as a misdemeanor count of possession of a controlled substance.