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OCEANSIDE: Man shot by police charged with six felonies
By SARAH GORDON and COLLEEN MENSCHING - Staff Writers | ∞
An man shot by Oceanside police officers in a confrontation outside his home last month has been charged with six felonies, including two counts of assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer, the prosecuting attorney said Thursday.
A Thursday press release by the Oceanside Police Department incorrectly stated that Gregory Kwok, 48, had been charged with three counts of attempted murder of a police officer.
Gregory Kwok, 48, pleaded not guilty to the two assault charges, two counts of resisting arrest, one count of attempting to take a service weapon from a peace officer, and one count of grossly negligent discharge of a firearm, prosecutor Kate Flaherty said.
In addition to those felony charges, Kwok also pled not guilty to one misdemeanor count of trying to harm a police dog, she said.
He faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted, she said.
Flaherty said Kwok's dog, which was killed in the confrontation, was perceived as a deadly weapon in the incident.
"He came at the police officers with a pit bull," she said.
Kwok was arraigned at his bedside at Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla, where he had been recovering from gunshot wounds since Oct. 26.
Oceanside police Sgt. Kelan Poorman said officers interviewed Kwok for the first time this week and that he was formally arrested and read his rights Wednesday.
Kwok is in sheriff's custody at the hospital in lieu of $250,000 bail, Flaherty said. He will be moved to the medical ward of the Vista jail as soon as he is released from the hospital, she said.
Kwok works as a mechanic and lives with his 81-year-old father, Aubrey Kwok. On Thursday, Aubrey Kwok said he had no comment on his son or his criminal case because it was "a high-profile legal matter." He said no lawyer was available to speak for his son.
Police originally were called to Kwok's home on Lonnie Street after neighbors reported that Kwok and his father were arguing loudly, and that Gregory Kwok had fired a gun into the ground in the front yard, Poorman said.
When police arrived, Kwok allegedly ran inside his house and got his pit bull before coming out again. The man allegedly ignored three officers' commands to stop, instead rushing at them with his dog, trying to grab one of their guns. Two of the officers fired shots and one used a Taser, Poorman said. It is unclear how many times Kwok, who was unarmed, was shot.
One officer shot and killed the dog. None of the officers was injured in the confrontation. Poorman said a police dog was hurt slightly when the pit bull bit it.
The next hearing in the case is Jan. 6.
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Jury duty here I come wrote on Nov 20, 2008 1:45 PM:Gregory Kwok is NOT GUILTY!!! Self defense, who could stop the advancing cops? I hope I am on his jury!!
Peter wrote on Nov 20, 2008 2:52 PM:Talk about piling on charges. Since he previsously had discharged a firearm in his front yard, but then came back outside without a firearm I think the attempted murder charges shouldn't hold up. The police wasted his dog, but then couldn't contain him such that they felt sufficiently afraid for their lives when he was supposedly going for one of them's firearm, that one of them shot him, I don't buy it. It sounds like excessive force and the DA is covering as ususal.
Hospital wrote on Nov 20, 2008 3:38 PM:So who is paying for his hospital stay at Scripps.....I certainly hope its not the taxpayers.
RG1 wrote on Nov 20, 2008 3:55 PM:Attempted murder seems excessive from what this article says. Now if he had fired 5 shots into a car, striking a woman and her 8 yo child, then yes, attempted murder would seem warranted. But then what do you expect from our DA and her history of cop bias.
From their nice comfy chairs wrote on Nov 20, 2008 4:14 PM:From their nice comfy chairs, there are those who merely from watching hours and hours of television or playing "life-like" computer video games have garnered all the knowledge one would need in order to form an opinion as to what exactly is proper or not proper when it comes to how a police investigations works or what it's like to work in the law enforcement field.
enriqueaqui wrote on Nov 21, 2008 1:29 AM:You're right, it doesn't add up. We don't have all of the real facts.
steve wrote on Nov 21, 2008 4:29 AM:Simple, listen to police commands do not be aggressive and things will be alot easier on you.Its really just common sense.
From a comfy chair wrote on Nov 21, 2008 5:50 AM:it sure seems a lot of people get shot by cops in North County.
Larry wrote on Nov 21, 2008 6:46 AM:It's now time for all of the "police are always wrong" folks to come out and write their comments. As I have said before, your supreme court has ruled before that anyone who grabs hold of a police officers gun in his/her holster, it is attempt murder on the officer. Come on NCT, yes OPD requests charges to be filed but the DA can increase or decrease them as they feel fit. Your comment that OPD incorrectly stated the charges is just your way of putting fuel on the fire.
FTM wrote on Nov 21, 2008 7:16 AM:What are the statistics about cops shooting people in San Diego County?
Can't the NCT help us out here?
Is is common for OPD to shoot people?
I can remember lots of stories of SDPD shooting people (heck, the SDPD shot the woman here in Oceanside in the Lowes parking lot). And I have read al few stories about Sherrifs shooting people.
Have there been a lot of stories about OPD shooting people?? Can we get some facts here? How can we acertain if there is a problem if we have no facts?
I can see calling SDPD a little trigger happy, but does that apply to OPD??
ANYONE have any facts on this?
To from comfy chair wrote on Nov 21, 2008 7:19 AM:there are a lot of idiots that deserve to get shot in North County. There isn't enogh money in the world to pay me to be a cop. Your damned if you do and damned if you don't. That shows the mentality of the people these men and woman have to protect. Come on cop bashers where are you. This should be like an open field for you.
Trumped wrote on Nov 21, 2008 8:00 AM:Trumped up charges........OPD is at partial fault if not all. Justice for Greg. I sure hope witness's step up.
giv eme a break wrote on Nov 21, 2008 8:27 AM:to all these people who said the police were out of hand when this first broke the news. And you're here flapping it again when the article clearly states that the man went BACK into the house and brought the dog out charging a the police.
He's was arguing with an 81 yr old man for Pete's sake and then went outside and fired a gun. You don't think that was a dangerous situation?! If you don't expect that to happen, then you must be a criminal, too. The police are here to serve & protect law abiding citizens. That's what they did.
Let the courts sort out the rest.
To 'Jury', you STILL sound like a felon to me.
Ill admit that wrote on Nov 21, 2008 8:35 AM:most times, police are jerks and cocky you-know-whats. AND half the time they take the easy street in normal day-to-day work. Like pulling over the average Joe, letting the beater with the expired pink drive on by.
We should be thankful that they're doing something about dangerous people in our neighborhoods, unles you're saying that behavior is acceptable to you.
Tbone wrote on Nov 21, 2008 9:29 AM:Glad the story at least, eventually, mentiones that he was UNARMED.
torchie wrote on Nov 21, 2008 9:58 AM:Too bad they had to kill the dog. People like that should not have pit bulls in my opinion. Guy got what he deserved. He made a choice and now he will have to pay the price. All he had to do was throw up his hands and let the police talk to him. I'm sure he would not be facing 10 yrs.. What an idiot.
To Ill admit... wrote on Nov 21, 2008 10:12 AM:my husband has never taken the easy street. He put's criminals in jail. He puts the drunks behind bars, he puts the child abusers behind bars. Yes all in a days work, however the time he spends away from our family to attend meetings with the DA to prosecute these thugs, to go to trial several times on one case is beyond what he gets paid for. Why does he do this, to make our little corner of the world a little better. I am sure you won't like him because yes sometime the average Joe is going 90 miles and hour down the road is someone my husband will pull over. It's the other 99% of his work you don't see and when you do see it people pick it apart like they know what the hell they are talking about. It the holidays and where will you find my man, working.. Don't be so critial on these guys, just say thanks and move on.
Craig wrote on Nov 21, 2008 10:28 AM:It's amazing how the only bad guys around here are cops. Judging by some of the posted comments, we should just disband the police department, because all we have are model citizens.
Scott wrote on Nov 21, 2008 10:58 AM:I have said it before and I will say it again. Not getting shot by a cop is the easiest thing I accomplish in day to day life.
esteban wrote on Nov 21, 2008 11:06 AM:I love it! The anticops arguments never change. "Trigger happy, cover up, attempted murder, conspiracy"...etc. It just doesn't get any better than this. The funny part(or maybe sad part is the better word) is that these anticops are out walking among us with their weird, twisted logic and warped views. Imagine someone with logic like that working on heavy machinery, or raising kids. Scary isn't it?
torchie wrote on Nov 21, 2008 1:19 PM:All the anticops should go on a day trip and evening out with a local officer to see the crap they have to deal with.. Better yet just watch cops! For once i have to agree with Esteban..
look wrote on Nov 21, 2008 1:48 PM:cops are here to protect us and I thank them for that, but wrong is wrong greg did't even have that grown dog for 2 months it was giving to him because his greyhound dog got hit bye a car so that should tell you the pit was not aggressive you can't give pits away while there grown if they bite ...
RrrGee wrote on Nov 21, 2008 2:50 PM:Wow, the cop worshipers on these blogs are soooo thin-skinned! Any mention that just maybe a cop did something that wasn't perfect and they come unglued. No wonder their reports often come under suspicion and their code of silence is legendary. We must have cops in this crazy world to handle these ..., but are they perfect in every case? Nope. And to esteban, it was the newspaper that reported attempted murder in their earlier report, not the "anticops". Try to get help on your reading comprehension, and your "logic" continues to defy all common sense. Now go hug a cop so you'll feel better about yourself.
All cops.... wrote on Nov 21, 2008 3:24 PM:should go on a day trip and evening out and bring plenty of kleenex to console each other.
FTM wrote on Nov 21, 2008 3:52 PM:esteban gets too much press around here but he is right about the rediculous thinking in these peoples minds about conspiricy theories.
To FTM wrote on Nov 21, 2008 6:58 PM:Hey, FTM at 3:52: Just what "conspiracy theories" are you talking about? I read the article and I read the blogs. Help me here.
RG1 wrote on Nov 23, 2008 1:55 PM:To FTM- If it's conspiracy theories you're concerned about, consider estebans continuous crazy blogs about how the vast "anticop" and "cop-hater" conspirators are trying to undermine the work of police. If one comment even suggests some cop went beyond the line, the writer is an anticop in his little mind, and the NCT prints this rubbish.
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