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Member of Viejas tribe in San Diego pleads guilty to attempted murder
Michael Edward LaChappa, 33, will be sentenced to 26 years in state prison when goes back before El Cajon Judge Lantz Lewis on Jan. 25. By Staff, City News Service Southwest Riverside News Network Wednesday, December 22, 2010
A member of the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians, who was captured earlier this month after skipping bail on felony charges, pleaded guilty today to two counts of attempted murder and one count of robbery stemming from separate cases.
Michael Edward LaChappa, 33, will be sentenced to 26 years in state prison when goes back before El Cajon Judge Lantz Lewis on Jan. 25.
“It was a difficult decision on Mr. LaChappa’s part, but at the end of the day, he believed this was the best (decision) for him and his family,” said defense attorney Gregory Turner.
Prosecutor Kristian Trocha could not be reached for comment.
LaChappa was taken into custody on Dec. 2 during a morning traffic stop in the Winterhaven area of Imperial County, sheriff’s Sgt. Fran Passalacqua said. At the time of his arrest, he had a rifle in his vehicle, she said.
The defendant, who has a lengthy criminal history, had been a fugitive since Oct. 27, when he failed to appear for a court hearing involving the most recent set of charges against him, the sergeant said.
In that Oct. 16 case, LaChappa assaulted and robbed the owner of a Lakeside-area tattoo shop, Passalacqua said.
Deputies arriving in response to a 911 call from the owner of the Las Coches Road parlor arrested LaChappa at the scene.
On the night of the robbery, LaChappa, a resident of the Kumeyaay tribe’s reservation near Alpine, was out on bail and awaiting trial in an attempted murder case.
Those charges date to 2008, when he opened fire on a couple’s house on the reservation while they were home. Though the residence was riddled with more than 60 bullets, the victims escaped injury, the sergeant said.
The motive for the shooting was unclear. The couple told investigators they were acquainted with LaChappa but were unaware of any reason why he might want to do them harm, according to Passalacqua, who described him as “a very scary individual.”
Earlier that year, LaChappa prompted a law enforcement standoff by barricading himself in a home on the reservation when deputies tried to serve him with a warrant charging him with misdemeanor spousal abuse and felony threats against a crime witness.
After about five hours, the suspect finally walked out of the house on Viejas Grade Road and surrendered to SWAT officers.