A man who stabbed and seriously wounded two on-duty San Diego firefighters last year during an altercation at a downtown trolley station was sentenced Friday to 23 years and eight months in prison.
Although he originally faced charges of attempted murder, Ryan Allen Jones, 35, was convicted in March of attempted voluntary manslaughter, assault with a deadly weapon on a firefighter and misdemeanor battery, stemming from the June 24 incident.
A prosecutor argued in the trial that Jones interfered with firefighters and Metropolitan Transit Officers who were trying to assist an intoxicated man. Later, the incident turned physical and Jones pulled out a knife.
Firefighters Benjamin Vernon and Alex Wallbrett were stabbed several times.
During the sentencing hearing, San Diego Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Fraser called the attack “horrific,” but said he did believe that Jones had some remorse for his actions based on a letter he wrote and statements he made in the courtroom.
“I don’t think you’re a bad man... , “ Fraser said, citing evidence that Jones was trying to help the intoxicated person and that he was shoved by a fire captain who arrived later.
“You have a very bad temper,” the judge told the defendant. “And unfortunately there is a fire captain who also has a bad temper. Two hot-heads collided... (and) two innocent men almost lost their lives.”
Fraser sentenced Jones under the state’s Three-Strikes Law, which doubled the penalties for some charges. Jones will have to serve 85 percent of his prison sentence before he can be released on parole.
The incident, much of which was captured on body-worn camera video, began when trolley security officers were interacting with the intoxicated man at the station at at Park Boulevard and Market Street.
Jones testified that the man was being belligerent with officers, so he stepped in to assist.
Deputy District Attorney Steven Schott said the trolley officers asked Jones repeatedly to back off, but he refused to comply. He continued to interfere when the firefighters arrived.
One of them, Capt. Steven Michaels, shoved Jones, causing him to fall over a bench. Jones was able to get back to his feet and approached or rushed at a transit officer standing nearby. The officer threw Jones over a railing.
That’s when Jones began swinging a knife.
“When he’s agitated, he resorts to violence,” the prosecutor said Friday, noting the defendant’s previous convictions for for robbery in Merced County and battery on a peace officer in Alameda County.
Jones was on misdemeanor probation with the stabbing at the trolley station occurred.
Schott argued that the prison term of 23 years and eight months was appropriate, because Jones “tried to take not one but two lives of San Diego firefighters.”
Deputy Public Defender Thomas Bahr argued that a 13-year term was sufficient, given that there was “some provocation” before the stabbing. The attorney also noted that Jones had demonstrated that he is capable of leading a law-abiding life.
“He does understand the damage, the injuries, to both (firefighters), physically and psychologically” Bahr said.
Jones apologized in court to the firefighters “so that they may have some closure.” He said his sole intention the day of the incident was to help the drunken man. What followed happened out of fear, he said.
Outside the courtroom, Vernon said he accepted the apology. He attended the hearing but did not make a statement in court. Wallbrett could not attend because he was at the academy training firefighting recruits on how to conduct rope rescues.
“I don’t want to carry a grudge,” said Vernon, 38, who was stabbed twice and suffered a broken rib and collapsed lung. Wallbrett came to his rescue and was stabbed three times.
“So if in 24 years I happen to run into him on the street, I’d be happy to share a beer,” Vernon said. “I really hope that doesn’t happen but I hold no ill will toward him and I was happy to hear that apology.”
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