Man who aimed gun at Pismo Beach officer’s head found guilty of attempted murder
The man who aimed a gun at a Pismo Beach police officer’s head during a traffic stop was found guilty of attempted murder in a retrial on Thursday.
After the first trial in September ended in a hung jury, 48-year-old Charles Ammons was retried and found guilty of premeditated attempted murder of a peace officer and felony resistance of a peace officer by use of force, a news release from the San Luis Obispo District Attorney’s Office said.
The first jury deadlocked 11-1 in favor of a guilty verdict on those two counts but did find Ammons guilty of assault of an officer with a semiautomatic firearm, carrying a loaded firearm and carrying a concealed firearm — all felonies — as well as two misdemeanor DUI charges and misdemeanor disorderly conduct.
Due to the mistrial, those charges were deliberated again and the jury then found Ammons guilty on all counts.
“The jury found that several factors in aggravation were true,” the release said. “The factors included: the crimes involved great violence, threat of great bodily harm, or other acts disclosing a high degree of cruelty, viciousness, or callousness; the defendant used a weapon when he committed the crimes; the victim officer was particularly vulnerable; and the defendant engaged in violent conduct that indicates a serious danger to society.”
Ammons’ sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 12 at 8:30 a.m. at San Luis Obispo County Superior Court.
He faces a maximum sentence of 10 years and eight months along with 15 years to life in state prison.
“Today, justice was served when a local jury found Charles Nelson Ammons guilty of attempted first-degree murder of a police officer,” District Attorney Dan Dow said in the news release. “Law enforcement officers like Pismo Beach Police Officer Chris Siglin are courageous public servants who put their lives on the line to protect all of us every day. They deserve our appreciation and respect, and when they have been victimized, the criminal and victim justice system should provide justice for them, like it did today.”
First jury split over guilty verdict
Ammons was accused of attempting to murder Siglin during a traffic stop on April 15, 2022, court documents say.
Body camera footage played in court showed Siglin first tried to stop Ammons for an illegal left turn in the 200 block of Pomeroy Avenue, but Ammons continued to drive slowly.
The officer drove up to Ammons’ window, identified himself as a police officer and told him to pull over. Ammons kept driving, so the officer pulled his motorcycle in front of the van to stop him.
When the officer opened Ammons’ door, Ammons pointed a semiautomatic pistol at Siglin’s head, the video showed.
Siglin tried to wrestle the gun away, the video showed, and Ammons allegedly pulled the trigger during the struggle.
The ammunition had been loaded backwards, so the gun did not fire.
The officer struck Ammons with a taser twice, yanked him out of the van and pinned him to the ground before arresting him, the video showed.
During the first trial, whether or not Ammons pulled the trigger was the key argument in both the prosecution’s and defense’s closing arguments.
The prosecution argued that pointing a gun at someone’s face indicated an intent to kill and said the clicking heard in the video was Ammons pulling the trigger.
But Ammons’ attorney told jurors the click heard in the video could have been from another source, including equipment clanging together on the officer’s utility belt.
Ultimately, the original jury could not decide whether Ammons intended to kill Siglin during the traffic stop, resulting in a hung jury.
This story was originally published September 25, 2024 at 4:11 PM.
