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A 44-year-old man made his initial appearance in court Tuesday to face seven felony charges, including attempted murder, for allegedly shooting an East Palo Alto officer in the foot during a traffic stop last week, San Mateo County prosecutors said.
Willie Wiley Jr., an East Palo Alto resident, is accused of the shooting last Thursday after an officer pulled over a 2006 Dodge Charger in the area of Fordham Street and Purdue Avenue around 11 p.m. for not having a front license plate, according to the county District Attorney’s Office.
Wiley got out of the car and allegedly reached for his waistband, then took off running. Officers caught up to him and during a struggle while he was facedown, he allegedly fired a shot that struck an officer in the foot, prosecutors said.
Officers were able to eventually take Wiley into custody and recovered the weapon, an unserialized “ghost gun” that had been converted from semi-automatic to fully automatic. Police also found 20 individually wrapped baggies of cocaine, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
The injuries to the officer, a five-year veteran of the East Palo Alto Police Department, are not considered life-threatening.
Wiley did not enter a plea during his initial arraignment Tuesday and is set to return to court on Friday. He remains in custody on a status of no bail.