BAIL BONDSMAN SHOT IN FACE AT VACANT EL CAJON BUILDING WITH HISTORY OF COMPLAINTS

By Miriam Raftery

Photo, left: Screenshot via ECM news partner 10 News

Photos below by Robert Gehr

March 26, 2022 (El Cajon) – Jesse Nunez, a bail bondsman was shot in the face while attempting to find a wanted man yesterday afternoon at an abandoned building at 333 West Lexington Avenue in El Cajon. The shooter was not the person sought by the bail bondsman, says Lieutenant Will Guerin with the El Cajon Police, who added that squatters were occupying the building and two men ultimately surrendered after a brief stand-off.

The wanted fugitive, Jesse D. Tansey, remains at large, 619 news reports. He was being sought for failing to appear in court on charges that included drug dealing and possession of a firearms.

An ECM photographer says he repeatedly called ECPD to report break-ins at the property, as well as apparent drug sales.

Nunez and his partner from Fugitive Warrants, a private fugitive recovery business, had called ECPD at 3::51 p.m. to advise that their agents were checking the abandoned business for a wanted fugitive.  Around a half hour later, at 4:18 p.m., the reporting party called again to advise that one of the agents had “suffered a head wound and a gun was involved,” Lt. Guerin said.

The victim and his partner later told police that after they entered the abandoned building, they encountered a man unrelated to the person they were seeking. He became confrontational and retrieved what appeared to be a handgun, so one of the agents shot a Taser. The man tackled the victim and began hitting him, then shot the victim in the face, the victim told police.

The second agent reported firing his Taser at the man to get him off his partner and both agents were able to escape the building.

Two El Cajon Police officers drove a marked patrol vehicle onto the property to rescue the injured bail bond agent.  “The agent had what appeared to be a through and through wound to the side of his face,” says Lt. Guerin. The wounded agent was transported to a nearby Heartland Fire and Rescue station, then taken by medics to a hospital for treatment. He was released later in the evening.

ECPD officers set up a perimeter around the building and parked an armored vehicle outside the front door. Call-outs were made into the building and two people, including the suspected shooter, eventually exited and were detained. The suspect had Taser darts embedded in his upper torso, Lt. Guerin says.

Since the suspect did not have the gun when he exited, and it was unknown if anyone else was inside, the Sheriff’s Bomb Arson unit responded with a tactical robot to clear the structure. The Sheriff’s ASTREA helicopter and a K-9 unit also assisted.

The suspect had an active felony violation arrest warrant and was booked into San Diego County Central Jail.

Although officers found no one else inside the abandoned building, “It appeared multiple squatters have been living inside the building,” Lt. Guerin states in a press release, adding that officers searched the building and found evidence related to the shooting.

Property has history of break-ins, squatters and complaints to ECPD

Photographer Robert Gehr, who shot several of the photos in this story, told ECM, “This is an abandoned office building that’s been inhabited by homeless people that have broken in multiple times over many months, despite the fact that steel plates were fastened into place covering windows and doors.”

Gehr says he was past the building regularly, adding, “I’ve witnesses these homeless folks coming and going on numerous occasions.” He said the site has bad odors including “some type of chemical-like smell.”

He told ECM in an e-mail, “I have notified ECPD several times regarding homeless people breaking in and occupying the place, yet it continued.” He added that he once called police “because it appeared to me that drug sales type activity was happening from the place and on the nearby corner across from the Post Office, where homeless gather to hang out and sleep.”

According to Gehr, the squatters had made exceptional efforts to access the vacant building’s interior. “Apparently whoever owns the property was not able to keep the place secure despite taking extreme measures to do so.” Those included the steel plates “welded over windows and doors” as well as “wrought iron fencing topped with razor wire that was installed.  These homeless people breached the razor wire, broke through the gate, followed by breaking through the bck door, after trying to pry off the steel plates covering the front windows.”

Anyone with information in this crime is asked to call El Cajon Police at 619-579-3311. The investigation is continuing.

Additional details on this incident are posted at http://usfugitivewarrants.com/.