MARTINEZ — A retired Pittsburg police detective who allegedly fired at police vehicles during a lengthy standoff outside his home is being charged with multiple felonies, including shooting his wife and the attempted killing of Pleasant Hill police officers.
Chunliam Saechao, 40, was charged Wednesday with two counts of attempted murder of a police officer, six counts of assault with a firearm on a police officer, and one domestic violence charge, along with enhancements alleging use of a firearm. He remains in county jail on a no-bail hold and is set to be arraigned later this week.
Saechao was the subject of two lengthy armed standoffs as police waited outside his Pleasant Hill home; the first started after he allegedly barricaded himself inside and fired a shotgun at his wife as she attempted to gain entry. Pleasant Hill police spent hours trying to coax him outside, then left the area en masse and announced Saechao was not a threat to the public, a decision that drew criticism from local residents but that police insisted was a tactical disengagement.
Hours later, police returned to the area and declared that Saechao was, in fact, a public safety threat. During this second standoff, he allegedly fired a gun at police vehicles, but no one was injured. The standoff ended when police negotiators convinced him to surrender peacefully.
During the entire ordeal, Saechao posted incoherent thoughts on social media, some referencing an impending world war, others talking about public figures like Elon Musk. In one post, he shared a picture of himself wearing a ballistics vest and a rifle, with a caption referencing “self-defense.”
Saechao retired from Pittsburg police almost exactly one year ago, in December 2022, after a 15-year career in which he earned a Bronze Medal of Valor and five Chief’s Commendations, according to a Pittsburg police social media post announcing his retirement. Before that, he served in the U.S. Marine Corps. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology, police said.
It was not immediately clear if Saechao had retained an attorney.
