San Antonio Man Pleads Guilty to Aggravated Assault in Police Standoff Case

A San Antonio man has pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated assault against a public servant following a 2023 confrontation that resulted in serious injuries to two police officers. Jesus Prado, 40, entered the plea in the 187th Criminal District Court and now faces a potential sentence ranging from 5 to 99 years or life in prison.

The charges stem from a domestic disturbance incident on the Northeast Side. According to the San Antonio Police Department, officers were dispatched to the 6200 block of Alta Puerta around 7 p.m. Police reports indicate that Prado arrived at the residence to pick up his children and became involved in a dispute with a woman inside the home.

Chief William McManus stated that Prado began dousing the property with gasoline while holding a torch and threatening to ignite the house. As officers approached, Prado barricaded himself inside and fired a long gun from a second-story window. One officer was struck three times, while a second officer was hit but managed to retreat to a patrol vehicle to return fire. Additional units utilized patrol vehicles to extract the pinned-down officers before Prado eventually surrendered.

Sentencing Phase Implications

With the entry of the guilty plea, the legal proceedings now move to the punishment phase, which is expected to last several days. The reduction of charges from attempted capital murder to aggravated assault reflects a plea negotiation, yet the possibility of a life sentence remains due to the severity of the violence directed at law enforcement. This phase will determine the final accountability for the standoff that significantly endangered public safety. It is important to note that all individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, a fundamental right that applied to the defendant prior to his admission of guilt in this case.