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Emigdio Preciado Wanted for Attempted Murder of Sheriff's Deputy
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
This is a weekly series that profiles America's most wanted criminals.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy Michael Schaap doesn't remember much
from the night of Sept. 5, 2000, when a gunman opened fire, squeezing off 21
rounds and shooting him in the head. But he's heard the story, many times.
Schaap and his partner, David Timberlake, were on patrol when they pulled
over a white van for not having working headlights.
Schaap had things on his mind - it was his children's first day back at
school. As he approached the vehicle, he had no idea the man in the van was
on parole for a drug violation, had served time for narcotics possession and
had a rap sheet that included firearms violations.
He found out the hard way, when the bullets started flying.
A bullet fragment from his assailant's AK-47 blasted into the bridge above
Schaap's nose, ricocheted across his forehead and exited above his right
eye. Timberlake escaped without injury.
RelatedStories
Robert William Fisher Wanted for Fatally Shooting Wife, Slitting Kids'
Throats The gunman fled.
Before long, Schaap was lying in a hospital bed, his wife and two children
wondering if he would live or die.
Police say his assailant - Emigdio Preciado - ran off to Mexico.
Doctors removed the remaining fragments of the bullet from Schaap's head,
leaving a wound the size of a quarter and his left side partially paralyzed.
Schaap struggled through a long, painful recovery, which included intense
therapy to re-learn cognitive skills.
He has a horseshoe-shaped scar on his face as a constant reminder of his
attacker, who still is at large.
While Schaap recovered from his brain injury, Preciado landed on the FBI's
Top Ten Most Wanted list.
Click here for Preciado's FBI Most Wanted poster:
http://www.fbi.gov/wanted/topten/fugitives/preciado_e.htm
Schaap called Preciado a coward for not facing up to his alleged crime.
"I understand that we all run the risk of getting injured and getting
assaulted in our line of work," he said. "But what gets me is what he did to
my wife and kids. To me, that is the biggest injustice."
"It's not an injury like a broken arm," Schaap said. "I have an injury that
is going to affect me for the rest of my life."
Long before the shooting, Preciado fell into a life of crime with the South
Side Whittier street gang, which operates outside of Los Angeles and is
known for violent crime and narcotics.
"This person is extremely dangerous," said FBI special agent Scott Garriola.
"He's not afraid to shoot at law enforcement. He has total disregard for
authority."
Click here to watch a video of Preciado dancing at a 2000 town holiday
festival in his Most Wanted poster. Video courtesy of the Los Angeles
Sheriff's Department.
http://www.fbi.gov/filelink.html?file=/wanted/topten/fugitives/preciado_e.mpg
Preciado is wanted for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution, attempted
murder of a police officer, assault with a deadly weapon and parole
violation.
He knows how to conceal his identity, with aliases ranging from "Junior
Preciado," "Junior," "Trigger," "Spooky" to "Snyper."
He has a horizontal scar on his left ear, a black mole below his right eye
and "Susana" and "Alexa" tattoos on his left chest, which may have been
removed by plastic surgery.
Preciado last was seen two years ago in the Guadalajara area of Mexico. The
FBI is working with authorities in Mexico, but it's difficult to locate
people there, Garriola said.
The fugitive's family likely is helping him evade authorities in Mexico, and
members of his gang could be helping, too.
"We feel like he's probably still being supported by his gang," Garriola
said. "He just has an extended network that are hiding him."
Authorities put up a billboard in Whittier, Calif., seeking information
about Preciado, but it has been defaced twice, Garriola said. The FBI
believes fellow gang members vandalized the board.
People may be afraid to notify authorities about sightings or knowledge of
Preciado's location. He's been known to assault several family members in
Mexico, Garriola said.
In 2001, Schaap returned to work with a different assignment.
No longer able to patrol the streets, he handles administrative duties and
teaches employment issues to his department.
Schaap now looks at life differently.
"There is a reason why I didn't die," Schaap said. "There was a higher
authority that had a hand in the incident."
Preciado was added to the FBI's Top Ten Most Wanted list in March 2007.
The FBI is offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to his arrest,
with the Los Angeles County Supervisor's Office offering an additional
$50,000 for his capture.
Click here to find the phone number to your local FBI office:
http://www.fbi.gov/contact/fo/fo.htm
Click here to submit a tip online: https://tips.fbi.gov/
Emigdio Preciado Wanted for Attempted Murder of Sheriff's Deputy
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
This is a weekly series that profiles America's most wanted criminals.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy Michael Schaap doesn't remember much
from the night of Sept. 5, 2000, when a gunman opened fire, squeezing off 21
rounds and shooting him in the head. But he's heard the story, many times.
Schaap and his partner, David Timberlake, were on patrol when they pulled
over a white van for not having working headlights.
Schaap had things on his mind - it was his children's first day back at
school. As he approached the vehicle, he had no idea the man in the van was
on parole for a drug violation, had served time for narcotics possession and
had a rap sheet that included firearms violations.
He found out the hard way, when the bullets started flying.
A bullet fragment from his assailant's AK-47 blasted into the bridge above
Schaap's nose, ricocheted across his forehead and exited above his right
eye. Timberlake escaped without injury.
RelatedStories
Robert William Fisher Wanted for Fatally Shooting Wife, Slitting Kids'
Throats The gunman fled.
Before long, Schaap was lying in a hospital bed, his wife and two children
wondering if he would live or die.
Police say his assailant - Emigdio Preciado - ran off to Mexico.
Doctors removed the remaining fragments of the bullet from Schaap's head,
leaving a wound the size of a quarter and his left side partially paralyzed.
Schaap struggled through a long, painful recovery, which included intense
therapy to re-learn cognitive skills.
He has a horseshoe-shaped scar on his face as a constant reminder of his
attacker, who still is at large.
While Schaap recovered from his brain injury, Preciado landed on the FBI's
Top Ten Most Wanted list.
Click here for Preciado's FBI Most Wanted poster:
http://www.fbi.gov/wanted/topten/fugitives/preciado_e.htm
Schaap called Preciado a coward for not facing up to his alleged crime.
"I understand that we all run the risk of getting injured and getting
assaulted in our line of work," he said. "But what gets me is what he did to
my wife and kids. To me, that is the biggest injustice."
"It's not an injury like a broken arm," Schaap said. "I have an injury that
is going to affect me for the rest of my life."
Long before the shooting, Preciado fell into a life of crime with the South
Side Whittier street gang, which operates outside of Los Angeles and is
known for violent crime and narcotics.
"This person is extremely dangerous," said FBI special agent Scott Garriola.
"He's not afraid to shoot at law enforcement. He has total disregard for
authority."
Click here to watch a video of Preciado dancing at a 2000 town holiday
festival in his Most Wanted poster. Video courtesy of the Los Angeles
Sheriff's Department.
http://www.fbi.gov/filelink.html?file=/wanted/topten/fugitives/preciado_e.mpg
Preciado is wanted for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution, attempted
murder of a police officer, assault with a deadly weapon and parole
violation.
He knows how to conceal his identity, with aliases ranging from "Junior
Preciado," "Junior," "Trigger," "Spooky" to "Snyper."
He has a horizontal scar on his left ear, a black mole below his right eye
and "Susana" and "Alexa" tattoos on his left chest, which may have been
removed by plastic surgery.
Preciado last was seen two years ago in the Guadalajara area of Mexico. The
FBI is working with authorities in Mexico, but it's difficult to locate
people there, Garriola said.
The fugitive's family likely is helping him evade authorities in Mexico, and
members of his gang could be helping, too.
"We feel like he's probably still being supported by his gang," Garriola
said. "He just has an extended network that are hiding him."
Authorities put up a billboard in Whittier, Calif., seeking information
about Preciado, but it has been defaced twice, Garriola said. The FBI
believes fellow gang members vandalized the board.
People may be afraid to notify authorities about sightings or knowledge of
Preciado's location. He's been known to assault several family members in
Mexico, Garriola said.
In 2001, Schaap returned to work with a different assignment.
No longer able to patrol the streets, he handles administrative duties and
teaches employment issues to his department.
Schaap now looks at life differently.
"There is a reason why I didn't die," Schaap said. "There was a higher
authority that had a hand in the incident."
Preciado was added to the FBI's Top Ten Most Wanted list in March 2007.
The FBI is offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to his arrest,
with the Los Angeles County Supervisor's Office offering an additional
$50,000 for his capture.
Click here to find the phone number to your local FBI office:
http://www.fbi.gov/contact/fo/fo.htm
Click here to submit a tip online: https://tips.fbi.gov/
