Suicidal suspect had doused self in gasoline before intentionally ramming officer, ECPD reports
By Miriam Raftery
Photo, left: Two officers train guns on driver after Sergeant Maxwell was struck.
January 11, 2025 (El Cajon) – El Cajon Police Department has released surveillance and body cam video from the officer-involved shooting outside ECPD headquarters on December 11 during preparations for a retirement ceremony. (Warning: graphic content.)
The video shows a Toyota Tundra SUV driven by Benjamin Grube, 24, a nonbinary person earlier identified as Andrea Grube, park and later drive onto a sidewalk and ram Sergeant Kevin Maxwell as he tried to run from the oncoming vehicle. He was thrown into the air before the vehicle struck a bush. The injured sergeant managed to grab his service revolver while still on his knees, ordering Grube to exit the vehicle.
A lieutenant nearby called for backup. Officer Evan Drescher arrived on the scene, shouting “Don’t move!” But Grube instead pulled forward, trying to run over Maxwell a second time even as both officers had guns trained on her.
Photo, right: Vehicle driven by Benjamin Grube strikes Sergeant Kevin Maxwell, who was thrown into the air before rising to his knees, gun drawn, ordering suspect to exit the vehicle.
Both Maxwell and Drescher fired their weapons, Maxwell through the windshield and Drescher through the driver’s side window. Maxwell jumps out of the path of the oncoming vehicle. Several shots can be heard on the audio from body cam footage (the earlier surveillance footage has no audio).
Officers pulled Grube from the vehicle and rendered medical aid, as did paramedics. Grube was transported to a hospital, where the suspect was pronounced dead.
“Grube was found to be soaked in gasoline and three gas cans were found in the truck,” captions on the video state. “During the follow-up investigation, Grube was found to have suicidal ideations and was anti-law enforcement.”
Sergeant Maxwell was transported to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries including a concussion, and was later released. No other officers or civilians were injured.
San Diego Police is conducting an investigation, as is customary for officer-involved shootings involving other local police agencies. The District Attorney’s office will review results of that investigation. El Cajon Police is also conducting an administrative review into the officers’ use of force involving discharge of their service guns.
East County News Service
January 10, 2025 (San Diego County) – In December, a judge ordered a transient release to a temporary location in San Diego County for Alvin Quarles, a sexually violent predator (SVP). Now Supervisor Joel Anderson has written a letter to Superior Court Judge Marian Gaston urging her to block the release. Anderson has also launched a petition and is seeking signatures from constituents opposed to Quarles’ release.
Quarles has been dubbed the “bolder than most” rapist for a series of sexual assaults in the 1980s committed at knife point, sometimes with the victim’s husband or boyfriend forced to watch
An audit last year found that four percent of SVPs in the state’s conditional release program reoffended, while 19% of SVPs not in the program reoffended.
“In light of the numerous heinous offenses committed by SVPs, transient releases that would prevent an effective oversight process to track and monitor SVPs should be rejected by the courts,” says Anderson, who has also objected to the high number of SVPs released into East County compared to urban and coastal areas in the county.
Several prior attempts to place Quarles into housing supervised by Liberty Healthcare failed, leading to the transient release plan. Quarles served time in state prison and later, a state hospital, before being deemed suited for release under the conditional release program.
By Tracy DeFore, County of San Diego Communications Office
January 10, 2025 (San Diego) - The County’s Citizens Law Enforcement Review Board is taking applications to fill an opening on its board.
CLERB was established in 1990 to investigate citizen complaints against San Diego County Sheriff’s deputies and probation officers.
The vacancy is for the at-large seat which is open to any eligible resident in the county.
The 11 members of CLERB include two from each of the five supervisorial districts and one seat chosen at large from any of the districts. The County Board of Supervisors appoints CLERB members for staggered three-year terms beginning on July 1 and ending on June 30.
CLERB also investigates deaths in connection with the actions of sworn deputies and probation officers. The review board makes advisory findings on complaints and recommends policy and procedure changes to the Sheriff, Chief Probation Officer and the Board of Supervisors.
Applicants:
- Must be a registered voter in San Diego County.
- Cannot be a County employee.
- Cannot be affiliated with the County.
- Cannot currently hold a position as a sworn law enforcement officer.
- Serve a three-year term for no more than two consecutive full terms.
- Attend a regular CLERB meeting or watch a past meeting prior to applying for the vacant seat.
- Must complete a training course within three months of the appointment.
The first review of applications will begin Jan. 30. People who submitted a CLERB application within the past 12 months still have their application on file with the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors and will be considered for the opening, so they do not need to reapply.
Update January 10, 2025 -- A third suspect has been arrested and charged with aiding and abetting in the murder of Darron Willie Singleton, Jr. On Thursday January 9, 2025, 45-year-old Valena Marie Gonzales of San Diego was apprehended by the San Diego Regional Fugitive Task Force near Valley Road and Rio Drive in San Diego. She has been booked into custody at Las Colinas Detention Facility.
East County News Service
January 8, 2025 (Lemon Grove) – The Sheriff’s office today announced the arrest of two men suspected in the murder of 23-year-old Darron Willie Singleton, Jr.
On Sept. 18 around 10:55 p.m., deputies responded to reports of gunfire and found Singleton suffering gunshot wounds to the torse in the 2200 block of Dain Street in Lemon Grove. Despite lifesaving efforts by San Miguel Fire Department personnel and Sheriff’s deputies, Singleton died at the scene.
“Months of intensive investigation led to the arrests of two individuals believed to be involved in this heinous crime,” says Lieutenant Michael Krugh.
Yesterday, Richard Charles Lee, 47, of San Diego, was apprehended in San Diego. Additionally, 44-year-old Reality Grayson of Temecula was arrested Temecula. Both suspects have been booked into custody at the San Diego Central Jail on charges related to the murder of Darron Willie Singleton Jr.
The San Diego Sheriff's Office extends its gratitude for the collaborative efforts of the San Diego Police Department, the Riverside Sheriff's Department, and the San Diego Regional Fugitive Task Force for their support in executing the arrests.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the Homicide Unit at (858) 285-6330/after hours at (858) 868-3200. You can remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.
By Miriam Raftery
Photo, left: surveillance footage from New Orleans terror attack
January 3, 2025 (San Diego) – A U.S. military veteran drove a rented electric pickup truck into a crowd of New Year’s Day revelers in New Orleans shortly after 3 a.m. on New Year’s morning, killing 14 people before he was fatally shot by police officers. Authorities found improvised explosive devices (IEDs) planted in the area; ABC news reports that an explosion to a hotel has been tied to the driver, The FBI reports that he posted videos declaring support for the terror group ISIS shortly before the attack, which the FBI confirms was an act of terrorism.
Later in the day, a U.S. Army Green Beret on leave detonated a rented Tesla filled with explosives and fireworks in front of Trump Tower in Las Vegas; his motive is not yet clear. The medical examiner confirmed that the driver shot himself before his body was burned in the explosion. Both attackers were U.S. citizens.
Tonight, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in San Diego is asking locals to be vigilant and report any threats, though the FBI and Sheriff’s department assure that there are no known threats in our region.
Local law enforcement responses
“Protecting the American people from acts of terrorism remains the FBI’s number one priority,” the FBI states in a joint press release released by multiple local law enforcement agencies. “Attacks such as the tragic event in New Orleans have a lasting impact not only on the immediate community but all Americans. The terrorism threats we face are complex and ever evolving, demanding we all work together to keep our communities safe.”
THE FBI is working with law enforcement partners to share information and disrupt any threats to our community.
The public is asked to report suspicious activities or threats to FBI San Diego at (858) 320-1800 or submit a tip to https://tips.fbi.gov/ or 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324).
San Diego County Sheriff Kelly Martinez states, The recent tragic events in New Orleans and Las Vegas weigh heavily on our hearts. We extend our deepest sympathies to the families, loved ones and communities affected by these horrific incidents. We are grateful for the courage and heroism of the dedicated law enforcement officers and emergency personnel who responded swiftly and courageously. These acts of terror remind us of the vital role community partnerships play in keeping us all safe.”
The Sheriff is the regional coordinator for mutual aid response, working with local, state, federal and tribal partners to collaborate on training, share intelligence and harden infrastructure to keep our region safe. A new asset is a team of explosives detection K-9 dogs; others include the Sheriff’s Bomb/Arson unit working with FBI bomb technicians and other agencies. The Sheriff’s office also participates in the Joint Terrorism Task Force to proactively address emerging threats.
District Attorney Summer Stephan emphasizes, “Keeping San Diego County safe from international or domestic terrorism and other threats of violence is a daily priority working collaboratively with all our law enforcement partners in a coordinated and effective manner. We also rely on the community to be the eyes and ears to any potential threat. Several destructive threats have been neutralized due to the prompt reporting by a student, parent or community member of suspicious activity including words that threaten harm.”
The aftermath of the 9/11 attacks by terrorists resulted in creation of the National Fusion Center Network to strengthen national security by effectively sharing information between various law enforcement organizations. The San Diego Law Enforcement Coordination Center (SD-LECC) is an all crimes, all hazards fusion that also serves as the Regional Threat Assessment Center (RTAC) for San Diego and Imperial Counties and is part of the California State Threat Assessment System (STAS).
Details on the New Orleans and Las Vegas attacks
The driver who plowed into a crowd of revelers on Bourbon Street in New Orleans has been identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, an army veteran who served in Afghanistan before his discharge in 2015. He most recently has worked in real estate in Houston. A recent convert to Islam, he carried an ISIS flag in the rental truck and posted five pro-ISIS videos while driving from Houston to New Orleans, citing a “war between the believers and the disbelievers,” according to the FBI.
He swerved around barriers before ramming the crowd, then got out of the car, wearing body armor, and began shooting at police officers before he was shot and killed by law enforcement officers, according to the New Orleans Police department.
The FBI has reviewed his phone and computer. “"At this point, currently, and this is another fact I want to be clear on, we do not assess at this point that anyone else is involved in this attack except Shamsud-Din Jabbar," deputy assistant director of the FBI's counterintelligence division Christopher Raia said in a news conference on Thursday, CBS news reports.
Surveillance video showed Jabbar placing IEDs at the scene and in the French Quarter. Authorities found two active devices described as pipe bombs containing nails, screws and tacks in coolers. President Joe Biden says the FBI advised him that a remote detonator was found in the vehicle.
An FBI poster seeks information about the deadly attack on Bourbon Street in New Orleans on New Year's Day.
Raia has said there is currently “no definitive link between the attack here in New Orleans and the one in Las Vegas," despite some similarities. Both attackers rented electric vehicles through Turo. Both attackers were U.S.-born citizens with military experience, including service in Afghanistan and at Fort Bragg (now Fort Liberty), North Carolina, though no direct connection between the two men has been found, CBS News reports.
Photo, left: Tesla truck explodes outside Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas; source: CCTV
The Las Vegas attacker has been identified as Matthew Livelsberger, 37, an Army Green Beret, trained in special forces to work in counter-terrorism. He was awarded five Bronze Stars including one for courage under fire, as well as an Army Commendation Medal.
He rented the electric Tesla truck in Colorado; charging station photos en route show he was alone in the vehicle. According to the Associated Press, he likely intended a more damaging explosion, but the steel-sided vehicle absorbed much of the force of explosion from firework mortars and camp fuel cannisters packed into the truck. The explosion injured several bystanders but did no damage to the Trump International Hotel just a few feet away. Livelsberger’s charred body has been positively identified via tattoos and he had several forms of ID in the truck.
His motive is not yet known, though tipsters have reportedly told law enforcement that he had a fight with his wife over their relationship shortly before renting the truck and loading it up with explosive materials as well as guns.
Authorities have thus far not found a direct connection between the Las Vegas and New Orleans attackers, but have also not ruled out a link.
“It’s not lost on us that it’s in front of the Trump building, that it’s a Tesla vehicle, but we don’t have information at this point that definitively tells us or suggests it was because of this particular ideology,” said Spencer Evans, the Las Vegas FBI’s special agent in charge. Tesla CEO Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, is a major Trump campaign donor and has been recruited by Trump to head up a commission aimed at cutting government inefficiencies. Neither Trump nor Musk were in Las Vegas on the date of the explosion.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk said Wednesday afternoon on X that “we have now confirmed that the explosion was caused by very large fireworks and/or a bomb carried in the bed of the rented Cybertruck and is unrelated to the vehicle itself.”