Suspect shot in the face by Costa Mesa police on New Year’s Eve facing 12 felony charges

Santa Ana, Calif. – A 26-year-old man who survived being shot in the face by police after firing at an officer during an hours-long New Year’s Eve standoff was charged today with 12 felonies and one misdemeanor. Fernandez is also accused of holding one woman at gunpoint and shooting at another as she drove her car into her garage.

Steven Taylor Fernandez, 26, of San Diego, is facing a maximum sentence of 62 years to life plus 31 years and eight months if convicted on all charges.

Fernandez has been charged with one felony count of attempted murder of a peace officer, one felony count of attempted murder, five felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, one felony count of criminal threats, one felony count of vandalism, and one felony count of carrying a loaded firearm in public. He has also been charge with one felony count of discharging a firearm at an inhabited building, one felony count of grossly negligent discharge of a firearm, and one misdemeanor charge of brandishing a firearm capable of being concealed.

Fernandez has also been charged with five felony enhancements of personal use of a firearm during the commission of a serious felony, one felony enhancement of attempted premeditated murder, two felony enhancements of personally using a firearm, and two felony enhancements of discharge of a firearm.

Officers were notified of a man in distress who was in possession of a handgun near Orange Avenue and Palmer Street in the city of Costa Mesa around 3:43 p.m. on December 31, 2019.

The man, later identified as Fernandez, shot several times at police, who returned fire. Fernandez ran to a residential garage on the 200 block of Knox Place and opened fire on a resident. The resident was not hurt.

Fernandez barricaded himself in the garage and was subsequently shot by officers.

He was taken to Orange County Global Hospital where he remains in custody. Fernandez is scheduled to be arraigned on January 10, 2020 in Department C5 at the Central Justice Center.

Deputy District Attorney Laila Nikaien of Special Prosecutions is prosecuting this case.

Art Pedroza Editor

Our Editor, Art Pedroza, worked at the O.C. Register and the OC Weekly and studied journalism at CSUF and UCI. He has lived in Santa Ana for over 30 years and has served on several city and county commissions. When he is not writing or editing Pedroza specializes in risk control and occupational safety. He also teaches part time at Cerritos College and CSUF. Pedroza has an MBA from Keller University.

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