The California man who stepped out of a car during a traffic stop wielding a rifle to prove cops are good people and would not shoot him not only ended up getting shot multiple times.
He is now being charged with attempted murder.
That means Jose Vaca is now facing a possible life sentence in prison.
But chances are, Vaca will still maintain his positive attitude towards police.
After all, even after he was shot at least nine times by a Bakersfield police officer on December 19, he still told reporters that he still believes there are good cops out there.
And while that may be up for debate, there is no question there are terrified cops out there who are trained to treat citizens as enemy combatants.
So it’s stupid to step out of the car with a loaded rifle during a traffic stop, even if you do not aim it at them.
After all, how many have people have been shot for stepping out of a car holding a phone? Or reaching for a cane? Or reaching for their wallet after being ordered to do so?
Add that to the fact that the Bakersfield Police Department is considered the “deadliest” police department in the country and you are embarking on a suicide mission.
But Vaca, 29, already a convicted felon and alleged gang member who was not allowed to own a gun, was under the impression that by stepping out of the car with a loaded rifle, he would be welcomed warmly by police who would thank him for showing them the gun instead of making them search his car for it.
He was initially charged with 11 criminal counts, including being in possession of a firearm as a convicted felon and participating in a criminal street gang.
But Kern County District Attorney William Schlaerth added an attempted murder charge during Vaca’s arraignment on Thursday, according to Bakersfield Now.
Vaca claims he never pointed the gun at the officers, but legal analysts told Bakersfield Now that the district attorney is likely trying to force a plea bargain by charging him with a crime he did not commit.
If anything, he is guilty of attempted suicide. And unadulterated stupidity.
