Man pleads not guilty to attempted murder of Vallejo police officer

A suspect accused of attempting to murder a Vallejo police officer who shot him during a burglary last month pleaded not guilty to all counts Tuesday.

Judge Jon Rolefson ordered 29-year-old Jamazea Kittell to return to court Sept. 13 for a hearing prior to his preliminary examination, according to court documents. The preliminary examination – the hearing at which the state will attempt to prove that there is probable cause to believe Kittell committed his alleged crimes – is scheduled to begin Sept. 20.

Assistant Public Defender Nick Filloy represented Kittell at his 9 a.m. arraignment at the Solano Justice Building in Vallejo. Assistant District Attorney Paul Sequeira represented the prosecution.

Kittell remains held without bail in the Justice Center Detention Facility in Fairfield.

Kittell was arrested June 27 following reports of a break-in at a Vallejo gas station. Footage of the incident released by the Vallejo Police Department shows Officer Brad Kim scrambling out of his patrol vehicle, shouting, “Let me see your hands! Let me see your hands! Let me see your hands!”

Kim is seen running in front of a stationary Dodge Charger that a suspect has just entered. He points a gun directly at the car’s windshield, and the car begins to move forward.

Four gunshots can be heard as the vehicle accelerates, knocking the police officer to the ground. The Charger then careens into a parking lot across the street and crashes into a pole in front of a gas mater.

“That’s fine. That’s fine,” Kim is heard saying as he gets back on his feet and sprints toward the car.

A suspect later identified as Kittell exits the driver’s seat and collapses to the pavement, and Kim is seen handcuffing him.

Bodycam footage goes on to show Kim and another officer waiting for an ambulance with Kittell — whose face is bloody but is still able to talk.

“How about you stop instead of trying to run my a– over?” Kim is heard asking the suspect.

“No, listen, I didn’t,” Kittell says.

“You didn’t see me staring (you) in the eyes?” Kim interjects, anger audible in his voice.

Kittell faces charges of attempted murder of a peace officer, commercial burglary, receiving stolen property and unlawful driving or taking of a vehicle.

At a town hall earlier this month, police said a security camera captured several suspects breaking into the gas station at 1401 Springs Road. Police said another vehicle fled the scene while Kim was attempting to stop Kittell.

Interim Police Chief Jason Ta confirmed at the town hall that Kittell, who lives in Modesto, was shot “in the mouth region.” Kittell has previously appeared in court in a wheelchair, with stitches visible around his nostrils.

Despite the town hall and the released footage, questions remain about the exact timeline of the incident.

In photos of the Dodge Charger shown at the town hall, two bullet holes were visible: one in the windshield and one in the driver’s side passenger door. Ta earlier this month declined to speculate on when, specifically, the second bullet hole appeared.

“The video is what I can comment on and what I can tell you,” he said in response to a question from the public.

In compliance with agency policies, several investigations into the officer-involved shooting are underway.

The Major Crimes Task Force of the Solano County District Attorney’s Office will be conducting a criminal investigation into the incident. Additionally, while Vallejo has yet to hire an independent auditor to review incidents like this, authorities have said the Renne Public Law Group will carry out an independent investigation.

Within the Vallejo Police Department, the Critical Incident Review Board will also examine officers’ actions and determine whether they were consistent with agency training and policy.

California penal codes stipulate that “peace officers may use deadly force only when necessary in defense of human life.” Deadly force becomes necessary in the eyes of the law when an officer is seeking “to defend against an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury to the officer or to another person.”

Deadly force may also be justified if a person is fleeing law enforcement after committing a felony “that threatened or resulted in death or serious bodily injury.” In this case, the officer must reasonably believe “that the person will cause death or serious bodily injury unless immediately apprehended.”