BURLINGAME – Two police officers will not face criminal charges for shooting an armed man last fall in Burlingame, according to San Mateo County prosecutors.
In a report released Wednesday, District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe concluded that San Mateo police Officer Manfrield Ng and Burlingame police Officer Sascha Koch were justified in their use of lethal force against Sergio Trujillo-Ayala on Nov. 30, 2024.
Trujillo-Ayala survived the shooting.
San Mateo police officers first encountered Trujillo-Ayala around 3:30 a.m. while responding to a report of a gunshot near 888 North San Mateo Drive in San Mateo. Wagstaffe said Trujillo-Ayala was “fidgety” and admitted to using methamphetamine.
When an officer tried to detain Trujillo-Ayala, he lifted his shirt and reached for a .45-caliber handgun in his waistband, Wagstaffe said. Trujillo-Ayala and the officer then got into a scuffle, which ended with the officers retreating and taking cover behind their patrol car and Trujillo-Ayala pointing his gun in their direction and running away.
The officers followed Trujillo-Ayala but lost sight of him at Jefferson Court and Peninsula Avenue.
A short time later, Burlingame police officers found Trujillo-Ayala standing on the train tracks near California Drive and Bayswater Avenue in Burlingame. Trujillo-Ayala was speaking incoherently and holding his gun under his chin, Wagstaffe said.
When Trujillo-Ayala ignored commands to drop his firearm, an officer shot him once in the stomach with a 40mm “less lethal” launcher. Wagstaffe said Trujillo-Ayala held on to his gun and pointed it in the direction of the officers, including Ng and Koch.
In response, Ng fired two shots from his rifle and Koch fired one shot from his handgun.
Trujillo-Ayala did not fire his gun at the officers, Wagstaffe said.
Trujillo-Ayala was taken to Stanford Medical Center, where he was treated for injuries including a broken arm and shoulder blade. Wagstaffe said Trujillo-Ayala was “experiencing auditory hallucinations and religious delusions” when he was admitted.
He also tested positive for amphetamine.
In his conclusion that the officers acted lawfully, Wagstaffe noted that “two officers from two different agencies perceived the threat the same way and acted accordingly.”
“I find that they were reacting to the imminent threat posed by Mr. Trujillo-Ayala, who had the present ability and apparent intent to cause death or to inflict great bodily injury on them by his action of pointing his gun at multiple officers,” he said.