A California sheriff's deputy has been accused of staging an ambush in which he was shot while returning to his patrol car. Authorities said that on January 31,2020, Deputy Sukhdeep Gill of the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office reported that he came under fire by an unknown assailant in a vehicle.
He said he was hit once and returned fire. He was unhurt in the shooting as the bullet struck his vest and destroyed his body camera. His patrol car was also shot several times.
Gill told investigators he had pulled over to the side of a dirt road to urinate and was shot as he returned to his patrol car. A massive manhunt was launched for the shooter, who was never found.
Authorities now say that the shooter did not exist, and Gill staged what authorities described as a "shocking ambush." Investigators uncovered holes in Gill's story and discovered discrepancies in the physical evidence at the scene.
"This case is bewildering and deeply disappointing," District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a statement. "Deputy Gill's actions abused the trust of his fellow officers and diverted public safety resources away from protecting the community to investigate a made-up crime."
Officials did not provide details about how Gill allegedly staged the attack or what his motive was. He was taken into custody and is facing charges of filing a false police report and felony vandalism.
Photo: Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office