FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Case # 18HF0169
Date: January 31, 2018
MAN CHARGED WITH AGGRAVATED ASSAULT ON TWO PEACE OFFICERS AFTER RAMMING STOLEN VEHICLE INTO PATROL CAR TWICE DURING HIGH-SPEED CHASE IN DANA POINT
SANTA ANA, Calif. – A man was charged with aggravated assault on two peace officers yesterday for ramming a stolen vehicle into a California Highway Patrol (CHP) car twice during a high-speed chase in Dana Point.
| Defendant | Charges | Maximum Sentence | Court Date |
| Charles Lawson, 29 | Charged yesterday with the following felony counts:
|
Seven years and eight months in state prison | Pre-trial hearing
Feb. 8, 2018, 8:30 a.m.
Department H-7, Harbor Justice Center, Newport Beach |
Circumstances of the Case
- At approximately at 1:20 a.m. on Jan. 28, 2018, Lawson is accused of driving a 2014 Ford Flex that had been stolen in the city of San Diego on January 27, 2018.
- The defendant is accused of recklessly driving the stolen vehicle to evade arrest and leading CHP officers on a high-speed chase through Dana Point at speeds in excess of 80 mph.
- Lawson is further accused of ramming the stolen vehicle into a patrol car, hitting Officer Doe 1. The defendant is accused of ramming the patrol car another time, reversing the vehicle, and accelerating toward Officer Doe 2 before fleeing the scene.
- Later that same day, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, who investigated this case, located and arrested Lawson at a nearby hotel.
Prosecutor: Senior Deputy District Attorney Jason Baez, Special Prosecutions Unit