Stockton man arrested, accused of shooting police sergeant after carjacking, pursuit
STOCKTON -- A Stockton resident is in custody Wednesday, facing charges linked to a carjacking and shooting of a Stockton police sergeant earlier in the day.
Sunthawon "Benny" Savon, 20, faces felony charges for attempted murder, carjacking, possession of a stolen vehicle, assault with a deadly weapon and a misdemeanor fleeing a peace officer.
The charges stem from an early morning carjacking, first reported after 3 a.m. on the 700 block of Bedlow Drive. In this "brazen" carjacking, a 69-year-old male victim was injured and was hospitalized with moderate-to-severe injuries.
From the first carjacking report, a Stockton police sergeant followed the stolen vehicle to Kentfield Road, which is where the suspect got out of the vehicle and shot at the sergeant. It's there, a spokesperson for the Stockton Police Department told CBS13, the sergeant was hit in the chest and the shoulder.
The sergeant is expected to recover. He was wearing a bulletproof vest and was hit in an area where the vest did not cover.
"In this line of work, we're always expecting the unexpected, but we never expected something like that… brazen," said Officer David Scott, spokesperson for the Stockton Police Department (SPD).
Suspect's Criminal History
Savon is known to law enforcement. In November 2022, a warrant was out for his arrest, Stockton police confirmed. He was arrested on weapons charges in January 2023, specifically, for illegal possession of a firearm.
Neighbors in the area of Kentfield Road were under a shelter-in-place order while investigators worked through the scene, called a "focus area" by SPD. Within that area, multiple people were detained, but it's unclear if they are connected to the carjacking or shooting.
Stockton police would not confirm Wednesday night if Savon is one of the multiple people detained in the afternoon. Chief of Police Stanley McFadden is expected to give an update on the case Thursday afternoon.
Savon is booked in the San Joaquin County Jail. He is scheduled to be arraigned on Friday.
