A Mesquite police officer has been indicted on an aggravated assault charge in connection with an on-duty shooting in December.
Officer Jonathan Yates, a three-year veteran, has been placed on leave pending the outcome of the criminal case.
According to Mesquite police, the events that led up to the shooting began about 10:15 p.m. Dec. 25, when police received a report that an armed, suicidal man driving a silver Chrysler 300 had threatened to kill anyone who approached.
Shortly after midnight, officers spotted a vehicle matching the description. A license plate check indicated the car had been stolen in Garland.
The driver "refused to follow officers' commands and jumped from the vehicle," Lt. Bill Hedgpeth said. "Officer Jonathan Yates, believing that the driver's action posed an immediate threat to the other officers at the scene, fired one round, striking the suspect in the torso."
The driver, Elijah Juan Robinson, 20, of Garland, was treated at a hospital. Police later determined that he was not related to the call about a suicidal man.
