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Daniel Garcia faces charges in an assault and dangerous chase in which he allegedly threw pipe bombs at officers in Northern California. (Crime scene screenshot from San Francisco CBS affiliate KPIX-TV/YouTube)
A convicted car bomber has been charged in connection with punching a parishioner unconscious for money at a Catholic Mass before leading police on a chase through San Francisco in which he threw exploding pipe bombs at pursuing officers before crashing.
Daniel Richard Garcia, 42, pleaded not guilty to charges including attempted second-degree robbery, detonating an explosive device with intent to commit murder, possession of an explosive device in public, possession of an incendiary device, and reckless evading, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said in a news release.
He also denied allegations that he committed the crimes while released on his own recognizance in another pending criminal matter, that he personally caused great bodily injury to a victim and that the crimes occurred in two or more jurisdictions, prosecutors said.
“Mr. Garcia’s alleged crimes placed countless lives in danger,” Jenkins said. “He will now face consequences for his dangerous conduct.”
It started just before 6 p.m. on Sunday. Police responded to the 600 block of Filbert Street on a report of a person who had assaulted and tried to rob a parishioner during a Catholic Mass.
When police got there, witnesses directed officers to Garcia, who had gotten into a vehicle and driven off, prompting a police pursuit.
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During the chase, the suspect threw two “improvised explosive devices” out of the car window at officers.
The pursuit ended in Martinez, more than 30 miles northeast of San Francisco, where Garcia was taken into custody.
San Francisco County Supervisor Aaron Peskin said an officer briefing him on the incident told him that when Garcia was in custody, he asked “how many points he got in his Grand Theft Auto game,” referring to a violent and popular video game that allows players to break laws and cause havoc.
Garcia was convicted of placing a bomb under an SUV parked next to an apartment building in Fairfield, California, on May 27, 2011. The bomb detonated, causing a fireball and sending shrapnel into the car and the nearby apartment building where two young children were sleeping, the FBI said. The SUV belonged to Garcia’s former tenant, who Garcia was angry at for taking a cable box and leaving behind trash when moving out, authorities said.
Garcia testified at trial that he had become “numb” about the dispute. During a June 16, 2011, search of Garcia’s house, law enforcement found and disabled a second bomb. Garcia was found and arrested two days later after a police stand-off.
He was sentenced in 2012 to serve 35 years in prison but was released early in 2019. The San Francisco Standard reported he was released early after successfully challenging his conviction on one charge that carried a 360-month sentence.
