Suspect in Rialto police-station shooting was carrying paintball rifle, investigators say

ByABC7.com staff KABC logo
Thursday, December 8, 2022
Rialto police-station shooting suspect had paintball gun
A 35-year-old man who was shot by a Rialto officer after sneaking onto the police station lot and pointing a weapon was carrying a paintball gun, investigators have determined.

RIALTO, Calif. (KABC) -- A 35-year-old man who was shot by a Rialto officer after sneaking onto the police station lot and pointing a weapon was carrying a paintball gun, investigators have determined.

The suspect has been identified as Gunther Elizalde Tellez, 35, of San Bernardino.

Surveillance video shows him driving a black Dodge Charger into the secure lot of the Rialto police station by following closely behind a cruiser.

He then walks up to a stopped cruiser carrying what appears to be an assault rifle. In the video he is seen approaching the driver's side window with the weapon in hand, then running away, turning and pointing it at the vehicle.

Tellez was shot more than once and wounded. Police say he is in stable condition at a local hospital.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department investigated the shooting incident. After processing the crime scene and examining the weapon, investigators determined he was carrying an "AR-15 style paintball gun."

Man holding assault rifle confronts officers at Rialto police station

Rialto police shot a man armed with an assault rifle who entered secure area of the department's station on Monday, officials said.

Tellez is expected to be booked on a felony charge of deterring or preventing an officer by threat or violence.

After he's released from the hospital, he'll be transferred to the West Valley Detention Center and held on bail of $50,000.