Atascadero man walked up to woman’s car, acted like a cop and then shot at her, police say
An Atascadero man was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of attempted murder after he allegedly impersonated a police officer and fired a handgun at a woman in a vehicle approximately two weeks ago.
In a news release Thursday afternoon, the Police Department says that on Saturday, April 11, at about 2:20 a.m., officers responded to the area of Buena Fortuna and Avenida Maria for a reported shooting.
Officers contacted a woman who said she was approached by a man on foot as she sat in her vehicle, the department said in the news release.
The man allegedly shined a flashlight into her vehicle, identified himself as a law enforcement officer, and displayed a handgun.
Questioning the man’s identity and fearing for her safety, the woman immediately drove off, police say, and the suspect fired one shot from the handgun. The bullet struck the victim’s vehicle, traveled through the taillight and into the passenger compartment, where it ultimately struck the woman’s shoulder, police say.
The round only caused superficial injuries as the velocity of the bullet had slowed enough to not penetrate the victim’s skin, the police department said.
The department says it conducted a follow-up investigation and developed a lead that identified Steven Ladwig, a 65-year-old resident of the city, as a possible suspect.
Detectives served a search warrant in the 10000 block of Los Pueblos on Wednesday, and Ladwig “was contacted, interviewed, and items of evidence were recovered associated with the shooting,” the news release says.
Ladwig was arrested at the conclusion of the interview and booked into County Jail on suspicion of attempted murder and shooting at an occupied vehicle. It is unclear what his bail was set at, but he was no longer listed as in custody as of noon Thursday.
No charges had been filed by the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office against Ladwig as of early Thursday afternoon.
Court records show that Ladwig pleaded no contest in 2017 for carrying a loaded firearm in his vehicle while driving under the influence.
This story was originally published April 23, 2020 at 1:01 PM.
