Woman sentenced to 10 years for shooting Gladstone police sergeant in Nov. 2021

GLADSTONE, Ore. (KPTV) - A 37-year-old woman has been sentenced to prison after being convicted of shooting at two Gladstone police officers and injuring one in Nov. 2021.

The Clackamas County District Attorney’s Office said Yvette Lares Garcia was found guilty of attempted aggravated murder, first-degree assault, and first-degree attempted assault on Wednesday. A judge then sentenced her to 10 years in prison. She is also required to pay the injured officer a $50,000 compensatory fine.

The charges stem from an investigation that began on Nov. 22, 2021 when Garcia was pulled over by Gladstone Police Officer Clement Lau. During the stop, Officer Lau learned Garcia had an extraditable warrant from Texas and took her into custody.

After Gladstone Sgt. Travis Hill arrived to the scene, Garcia told officers she was concerned about her two pit bulls alone at her home. The district attorney’s office said officers agreed to stop at her home on the way to jail to secure her dogs for Clackamas County Dog Control.

At Garcia’s home, Officer Lau secured one dog on a leash while the other dog ran upstairs. Sgt. Hill and Garcia, who was still handcuffed behind her back, went upstairs to get the other dog which had gone into a bedroom.

According to the district attorney’s office, Garcia drew Sgt. Hill’s attention away from her for a moment and was able to grab a 9mm semi-automatic handgun from a nearby nightstand. Garcia said she would not go back to jail and then shot Sgt. Hill in the lower leg.

The two officers then exchanged gunfire with Garcia, yelling at her multiple times to drop the gun. Garcia was hit in the torso multiples times and taken to the hospital for treatment.

Officer Lau was not injured, but Sgt. Hill was shot in the leg and grazed on the arm. The district attorney’s office said Hill’s leg wound caused permanent injury and he left law enforcement.

The district attorney’s office said Garcia’s warrant out of Texas was for felony charges arising from the theft of at least $1 million. She will likely be extradited soon to face prosecution there.