DATE: November 4, 2024
CASE: Ismael Herrera Mondello (Case #21FE011431)
PROSECUTOR: Deputy District Attorney Emilee Divinagracia, Major Crimes Unit
On November 1, 2024, the Honorable Peter Williams sentenced Ismael Herrera Mondello to 110 years and 6 months to life in prison. On May 16, 2024, a jury convicted Mondello of five counts of attempted murder on a peace officer, seven counts of assault on a peace officer with a semiauto firearm, felony evasion, vehicle theft, three counts of shooting at an inhabited dwelling and two counts of felon in possession of a firearm.
On July 7, 2021, Sacramento police officers were driving a patrol vehicle in the area of 65th Street and Fruitridge Road when they spotted a reported stolen vehicle, which was being driven by Ismael Herrera Mondello. When officers attempted a traffic stop, Mondello took off at a high rate of speed and drove recklessly through a residential area. During the pursuit, Mondello repeatedly fired a semiautomatic firearm at officers. One of the bullets struck a nearby home. When Mondello reached a dead end, he fled on foot. He ran to the back of a home and attempted to get inside by kicking the garage door and breaking a window. He then hopped a fence, went into another backyard and broke into the home by firing a round into the backdoor. Upon hearing Mondello enter the home, the homeowner ran out of the front door to safety. Law enforcement formed a perimeter around the home and attempted to get Mondello to come out peacefully. After a few hours with little to no movement from within the house, several officers positioned outside of the home reported shots fired at them. Mondello continued to fire at officers and SWAT, with one of the bullets striking a nearby home. Mondello had positioned himself in the attic and was shooting at officers from a vent that was not visible to officers. Shortly after, SWAT deployed teargas into the home and Mondello exited the home. At no point did law enforcement return fire. A search of the home revealed two semiautomatic handguns and two un-serialized 9mm handguns, one with a threaded barrel. Officers also located two empty 9mm magazines capable of holding 21 and 10 rounds. All of the 16 shell casings collected from the pursuit path, the stolen vehicle and affected homes were fired from one of the firearms located inside the home Mondello had barricaded himself.
