SAN ANTONIO – A teenage boy who police say shot a San Antonio police officer in an ambush at a Northwest Side apartment complex has been identified.
Jonathan Cruz Garcia, 17, was identified in a police report obtained by KSAT.com as the shooter who wounded Officer Drew Matthewson, a one-year veteran of the San Antonio Police Department.
On Feb. 12, Police Chief William McManus said Matthewson spotted and began following an SUV with stolen tags just after 1 a.m.
ORIGINAL STORY: Teen, SAPD officer involved in gun battle on NW Side
The vehicle, a 2016 Honda CR-V, was suspected of being involved in separate shooting, and Matthewson was out looking for that vehicle, McManus said.
Matthewson chased after the Honda, and the driver -- later identified as Garcia -- rammed the security gate to the Chroma Apartment complex in the 5000 block of Hamilton Wolfe Road. McManus said Garcia bailed and Matthewson chased after him on foot.
Garcia ran through complex hallways and waited around a corner for Matthewson before opening fire on him, according to the report.
McManus said that despite being shot once in his left shoulder, Matthewson returned fire, striking Garcia three times: in the right side of his jaw, the right side of his chest and his right arm.
"(Matthewson) did a fantastic job of catching the suspect," McManus said. "It very nearly cost him his life."
Matthewson and Garcia were both rushed to University Hospital, where the officer was later released that day. As of Wednesday, Garcia remained in the hospital. His condition was unavailable at the time this story was published.
Police suspect Garcia may be part of a larger criminal group working in the area, McManus said.
Matthewson will be placed on administrative duty pending the investigation, per the Police Department's protocol.
Garcia faces several felony charges, including attempted capital murder of a police officer, evading arrest and theft of a vehicle, according to online records.
His bail has been set at $275,000.
Officer-Involved Shooting off Hamilton Wolfe
Posted by San Antonio Police Department on Tuesday, February 12, 2019