Crime & Safety

Man Who Shot at Police Wasn't the Burglary Suspect Cops Were Chasing

Police arrested Lamar Lomack, 18, on July 21 after he allegedly shot at officers during a burglary investigation. Lomack was not the burglary suspect police were hunting for and his motivation is unknown, prosecutors said.

A man arrested last week was not the officers' intended suspect, according to prosecutors.

Lamar Wayne Lomack, 18, of Union City, was arraigned Monday afternoon at the Fremont Hall of Justice Monday shortly after 3:20 p.m. He was charged with attempted murder on a police officer and two counts of assault with a firearm on a police officer, in addition to four counts of child endangerment.

The charges stem from a July 21 incident that launched and SWAT team siege of Lomack's Darlene Way home.

Find out what's happening in Union Citywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Another man, Christopher Michael Gaines, 19, was also arrested in connection with the burglary-turned-shooting.

When the arrests were initially made, police thought Gaines had fired the shots and that Lomack was an associate. 

Find out what's happening in Union Citywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Deputy District Attorney Mark Melton said that Gaines, who also appeared in court Monday, attempted to burglarize a home on Annette Court but ran away after a brief confrontation with the residents.

Two Union City police officers responded to the burglary attempt and found Gaines in front of Lomack’s home on the 32400 block of Darlene Way, Melton said.

According to Melton, as officers approached, Gaines ran into the house through the garage and Lomack opened fire. Officers shot back, but neither the officers nor Lomack were struck.

Four children were inside of the house at the time of the shooting, according to police and prosecutors, resulting in the child endangerment charges.

“His actions put all of the children at risk,” Melton said.

Why the defendant fired on police officers is still unknown, Melton said. Lomack's only previous adult criminal history is an April 23 misdemeanor arrest for reckless driving, driving while under the influence and driving without a license in Oakland.

Melton said Monday afternoon that he had yet to thoroughly examine Lomack’s juvenile record.

During Lomack’s arraignment Monday, Judge Dennis McLaughlin said the alleged offenses are “serious and violent” felonies. As a result, Lomack's bail was set at $3.2 million, but prosecutors may file a motion to request that Lomack be held without bail.

Lomack is scheduled to return to court Tuesday at 9 a.m. with a public defender for further proceedings.

Gaines was arraigned shortly after Lomack and was charged with first- degree residential burglary. He is scheduled to return to court on Thursday.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.