Thomas Breen photo
Rivera (right) with Senior Assistant Public Defender Scott Jones.
A Superior Court judge Monday decreased by $650,000 the total bail bond amount for a New Haven man accused of fleeing from and shooting at city police. The judge cited the original $1.4 million-plus bond total as inappropriate for a case that does not involve a homicide.
On Monday just before noon at the state courthouse at 235 Church St., Superior Court Judge Patrick Clifford decreased the total bond for the arrestee, Marcus Rivera, from $1,475,000 to $825,000.
Rivera, a 22-year-old New Haven man, has been charged with two separate felony cases related to his alleged shooting at Det. Francisco Sanchez in the Hill on Jan. 8 after leading cops on a foot chase through Kimberly Square. Rivera has also been charged in a separate case with shooting a woman in Cedar Hill on Dec. 19 in an apparent dispute over drug territory, and in yet another case with fleeing from state troopers after a traffic stop in West Haven on Dec. 20.
Rivera has pleaded not-guilty to all four sets of charges.
On Monday, Rivera’s lawyer, Senior Assistant Public Defender Scott Jones, told Clifford that his client wanted to request a reduction to his bail. The bail bonds for the four cases combined added up to $1,475,000.
“I don’t think he has the means to make any bond,” Jones said. Nevertheless, Rivera sought to have his bonds be reduced to an aggregate total of around $500,000.
“That bond may allow him to move out of more restrictive housing” in the prison where he is currently being held, Jones said.
Senior Assistant State’s Attorney John Doyle, Jr.
Senior Assistant State’s Attorney John Doyle, Jr. disagreed with any attempt to reduce Rivera’s bail.
“There’s a common theme between two of these incidents,” Doyle said, referencing the Dec. 20 car chase and the Jan. 8 foot chase that led to the shootout in the Hill. “Both incidents involved fleeing law enforcement when no one should be fleeing law enforcement. I don’t see any basis to reduce the bonds based on the seriousness of the charges.”
Jones replied that Rivera was significantly injured during the Jan. 8 shootout, during which, according to state investigators, Detective Sanchez shot at and injured Rivera in the pelvis. According to the investigation, Sanchez fired first in response to Rivera allegedly pointing a gun at the detective. Then Rivera responded with fire of his own. And then Sanchez shot back at the suspect again.
“He said he was shot in the back,” Jones said.
“I got the medical records right here,” Rivera said, leaning over a cane and holding up a manila folder.
Superior Court Judge Patrick Clifford.
Clifford said that he has seen bonds in the $1.4 million range before. But those are usually in homicide cases, he said. Rivera has not been charged with killing anyone.
“I don’t mean to minimize the allegations here,” he said.
Ultimately, Clifford decided to reduce the bail associated with one of the felony charges related to the Jan. 8 chase and shootout.
He reduced the bond for a felony charge of carrying a pistol without a permit from $750,000 to $100,000.
He kept the bond for the felony charges of attempting to assault an officer at $500,000.
He kept the bond for the felony charges of first-degree assault related to the Dec. 19 shooting at $200,000.
And he kept the bond for the misdemeanor charges of fleeing from the state troopers on Dec. 20 at $25,000.
Clifford set Rivera’s next court date as April 29.