Pacifica Transient Sentenced to Jail For Resisting and Injuring Police Officer

A 25-year-old Pacifica transient faces restitution fees and jail time for resisting and injuring a Pacifica Police officer in June.

Tyler Christopher Alvarez appeared in court this week and was ordered to pay restitution fees of $40 to Pacifica Police sergeant Duane Wachtelborn, $220.01 to the City of Pacifica and restitution to Pacifica Police officer Patrick Mostasisa in an amount to be determined, according to the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office.

Alvarez pleaded not guilty on Aug. 13, 2013, at a pretrial conference for felony resisting arrest and causing serious bodily injury to a Pacifica Police officer.

On June 6, 2013, at 10:40 a.m., a Pacifica Police officer spotted Alvarez riding a skateboard and knew he was on postrelease community supervision, making him subject to a mandatory search and seizure.

The officer tried to stop Alvarez but he skirted around the patrol vehicle and took off, prosecutors said. A long pursuit ensued with numerous efforts by the officer to stop Alvarez, including the use of red lights and siren.

Pacifica Police sergeant Wachtelborn saw Alvarez hiding under a vehicle and tried to grab him but he pulled away and took off running in the direction of two other Pacifica Police officers, who grabbed him but he was still able to squirm away, said prosecutors. He ran back toward the sergeant, who took out his baton to attempt to strike and stop Alvarez, according to the District Attorney.

The sergeant swung his baton at Alvarez but accidently struck police officer Patrick Mostasisa in the head while also striking Alvarez in the knee. Mostasisa fell due to the blow and broke his leg. He needed 13 sutures to close the head injury and remains out of work.

Alvarez, who was sent to prison in 2011 for felony evading and was on postrelease community supervision, was denied probation and was sentenced to one year in county jail and 2 years mandatory supervision conditioned on abstain alcohol and drugs, chemical testing, search and seizure, possess no weapons or ammunition, $280 restitution fund fine, $40 court operations fine, $30 criminal conviction fine, and genetic marker testing.

The defendant was in custody on $20,000 bail and a no bail postrelease community supervision violation hold.