TYLER, Texas — UPDATE:
A 20-year-old Tyler man has been found guilty of shooting at a Smith County deputy from the window of a car while being pursued in 2016.
Juan Quiroga, of Tyler, could face up to life in prison. The sentencing will take place on Wednesday.
The jury deliberated for more than three hours before finding Quiroga guilty of the first-degree felony charge of aggravated assault against a public servant with a deadly weapon for his alleged role in a March 21, 2016, incident.
During the incident, deputies attempted to stop a car on Thompson Lane off of Texas Highway 64 West in western Smith County, but when the deputy turned on the vehicle's lights, the driver fled and the chase began. Quiroga is accused of firing at two sheriff's department vehicles during the pursuit.
In closing arguments, Quiroga's defense team insisted their client was not guilty. They told the jury the state lacks evidence it should have collected and investigators failed to properly conduct the investigation.
"It's about what the government hasn't done in the courtroom," Quiroga's defense attorney, Jason Parrish, said.
He also told the jury to consider law enforcement not getting search warrants for Quiroga's house or other witnesses who investigators looked at the night of the shooting.
Parrish insisted the detectives didn't get warrants to look for an AK-47 and clothing like they saw Quiroga wearing. He also told the jury to consider investigators relied on information about Quiroga's identity given to them by two men who were known to use methamphetamine and didn't know Quiroga or know the person who was in the car when the shooting occurred.
The state argued investigators were right in how they conducted surveillance at a Tyler hotel and an RV-park on Quiroga and Ricardo Pineda, a known drug dealer in East Texas, the day of the shooting.
The state said the detectives who investigated the case obtained information from co-defendants in the case that identified Quiroga as one of the passengers in the Altima who shot at the deputy, then waited in a barn for someone to come and get him.
The state asked the jury to return to the evidence and believe the detectives and the facts that came from them.
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The state and defense presented closing arguments and the jury was sent to deliberate whether Juan Quiroga, 20 was the man who shot at a Smith County deputy from the window of car in 2016.
Quiroga, 20 faces a first-degree felony charge of aggravated assault against a public servant with a deadly weapon for his alleged role in a March 21, 2016, incident. He could spend up to life in prison if convicted.
During the incident, deputies attempted to stop a car off of Texas Highway 64 West in western Smith County, but when the deputy turned on the vehicle's lights, the driver fled and the chase began. Quiroga is accused of firing at two sheriff's vehicles during the pursuit.
In closing arguments, Quiroga's defense team insisted their client is not guilty. They also told the jury the state doesn't have the evidence it should have collected nor did investigators conduct the investigation like they should have.
"It's about what the government hasn't done in the courtroom," Quiroga's defense attorney, Jason Parrish said.
He also told the jury to consider law enforcement not getting search warrants for Quiroga's house or other witnesses who investigators looked at the night of the shooting.
Parrish insisted the detectives didn't get warrants to look for clothing like they saw Quiroga wearing they relied on the information given to them by two men who were known to do methamphetamine.
The state argued investigators were right in how they did surveillance at a Tyler hotel on Quiroga and Ricardo Pineda, a known drug dealer in East Texas the day of the shooting.
The state said the detectives who investigated the case were able to get information from co-defendants in the case that identified Quiroga as one of the passenger in the Altima.
