A 29-year-old man was sentenced to 38 years in prison after a jury convicted him of aggravated assault against a public servant and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. KRIS 6 was on the scene the day the shooting took place.
Judge David Klein of the 148th District Court sentenced Rob Thomas Garza on April 24, 2026. Garza received 38 years for the aggravated assault conviction and 12 years for the firearm possession conviction. The sentences will run concurrently, and Garza will receive credit for time served.
The trial began on April 20, 2026. Garza faced four felony charges stemming from an April 2, 2025, incident. The jury acquitted Garza on two counts of aggravated assault against a public servant, but found him guilty on one count of aggravated assault and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm.
The charges originated from a police chase and shooting. According to Precinct 5 constables, a Corpus Christi Police Department officer noticed a white Nissan driving erratically on Northwest Boulevard. The vehicle fled, and the police department ended its pursuit. The Nissan continued west on Highway 624 toward Bluntzer, where Precinct 5 deputies and Texas Department of Public Safety troopers picked up the chase.
Authorities briefly lost the vehicle near Easley Lane, but located it using a police drone. Garza drove onto private property on the 6400 block of Easley Lane in the Sandy Hollow-Escondidas subdivision. When state troopers and Nueces County deputies attempted to block the vehicle, Garza fired at the trooper units…