MAN CHARGED WITH AGGRAVATED ASSAULT ON TWO PEACE OFFICERS AFTER RAMMING STOLEN VEHICLE INTO PATROL CAR TWICE DURING HIGH-SPEED CHASE IN DANA POINT

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:

  • (2) Aggravated assault on a peace officer
  • Evading while driving recklessly
  • Unlawful taking of a vehicle
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