SAN PEDRO — Jose Cerpa Guzman was sentenced to 33 years in state prison on May 20, 2026, for assaulting Los Angeles police officers and robbing a firearm during a 2020 attack at the LAPD’s Harbor Station in San Pedro. Guzman pleaded no contest in March 2026 to two counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm on a peace officer, one count of robbery, and one count of evading a police officer with disregard for public safety.
On September 26, 2020, Guzman attacked a desk officer at the Harbor Station on John S. Gibson Boulevard. He struck the officer in the head, knocked him down, wrestled him for his firearm, and hit him multiple times over the head with the gun, according to video released by the Los Angeles Police Department. After stealing the officer’s firearm, Guzman exchanged gunfire with a watch commander, though no one was hit.
Guzman fled the scene in his white Chevrolet Avalanche and led police on a pursuit that ended at Pacific Avenue and 17th Street. He did not comply with officers’ commands to put his hands up and was tackled and taken into custody. The stolen firearm was found on the passenger side of his truck.
Two counts of attempted murder against Guzman were dismissed as part of a plea deal with prosecutors. The motive for the attack remains unknown to police and prosecutors.
“The attack was mind-boggling to me,” Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Debra A. Cole said during sentencing. She added, “Your choices left some devastating consequences.”
Lt. Robin Aguirre said during sentencing proceedings, “For more than five and a half years, we have carried the weight of what you did that night.” She also stated, “Because of your choices, families were shattered. Lives were permanently changed.”