OIS Report Released

WCDA Report Released Detailing May 4, 2020 Officer Involved Shooting Incident of Ronal Zendejas

Washoe County District Attorney Chris Hicks has determined that the May 4, 2020, Officer Involved Shooting (OIS) of Ronal Zendejas, age 36 from Sparks, by Sparks Police Department (SPD) Officers Thomas Radley and Adrian Berumen was justified under Nevada law.

Consistent with this office’s ongoing public reporting on all OIS cases, District Attorney Hicks has released a detailed 42-page report containing the facts of the case, photographs, identification of those involved, witness accounts, and his legal analysis supporting the case’s conclusion.  This determination is based on an extensive review of the investigation conducted by the Reno Police Department, which was submitted to this office.  Unless new circumstances come to light that contradict the factual foundation upon which this decision was made, this case is officially closed.  Copies of all completed OIS reports are available on the Washoe County District Attorney’s Office’s website at https://www.washoecounty.us/da/newsroom/reports.php 

Inquiries regarding the release of any public records involving the investigation and its evidence can be directed to the involved law enforcement agencies. 

Introduction of the Report:

On May 4, 2020 shortly before 8:00 pm, Ronal Adalberto Zendejas (hereinafter “Zendejas”) entered the office of Motel 6, located at 2405 Victorian Avenue in Sparks, Nevada, and rented a room for one night.  For unknown reasons, his demeanor was rude and aggressive, and the front desk manager recognized that he was drunk.  After renting the room, he punched the plexiglass separating the lobby and employee areas, and then punched the office window as he left.  Shortly thereafter, Zendejas returned to the office and was angrier than he was before, but then left again.  Just minutes later, Zendejas followed the general manager into the office, this time armed with a running chainsaw.  The general manager retreated behind the counter, and Zendejas used the chainsaw to cut through the swinging half-door which separates the lobby and employee areas.  The front desk manager took cover in the employee bathroom, while the general manager went into his apartment, which was connected to the office.  Zendejas, who was still armed with the chainsaw, then entered the employee area.

Zendejas ultimately left the office and went to room number 102, which was next to the office. He contacted the occupant of that room, and swung the chainsaw towards him, causing the occupant to take evasive measures.  During this dangerous interaction, Zendejas cut the door and door handle to room number 102.

As these attacks were taking place, two calls were placed to 911 at approximately 8:08 pm, and Sparks Police Department (hereinafter “SPD”) officers responded, with Officers Thomas Radley (hereinafter “Officer Radley”) and Adrian Berumen (hereinafter “Officer Berumen”) being the first two to arrive.  Once these officers arrived, people on-scene pointed to Zendejas, who was then sitting in his blue Honda Accord parked in the Motel 6 parking lot.  The officers, who were dressed in full police uniforms, approached Zendejas, verbally identified themselves as police, and ordered him to stop and show his hands. Zendejas ignored their commands and rapidly reversed, and then drove out of the parking lot at a high rate of speed. As he fled, Zendejas drove across all travel lanes of Victorian Avenue, over a curb, struck a metal street sign, and stopped on landscaping rocks.

Officers Radley and Berumen chased after Zendejas, and Officer Berumen repeated his commands to stop the car, but Zendejas again refused to comply.  Instead, Zendejas reversed his vehicle, dragging the street sign with it, struck Officer Berumen’s patrol vehicle, and crashed rear-end into the wall of a nearby car wash.  Officers Radley and Berumen, recognizing the serious threat Zendejas presented to them and the public, continued to chase after Zendejas.  As they got closer, Officer Radley again ordered Zendejas to show his hands and stop, but Zendejas began driving away from the car wash at a high rate of speed. Officer Radley, followed by Officer Berumen, responded by firing their duty handguns towards Zendejas.

As the gunfire subsided, Zendejas’ vehicle drove into a parking lot next to a smog shop and crashed front-end into a wall.  Additional officers arrived, approached the vehicle, and removed Zendejas from the driver’s seat.  Zendejas did not survive the incident, and a subsequent autopsy found the cause of his death to be multiple gunshot wounds.

Multiple video surveillance cameras, including those in the lobby of the Motel 6, along with both Officer Radley’s and Officer Berumen’s body-worn cameras (hereinafter “BWC”), captured the entire sequence of events, beginning with the incidents in the Motel 6 office, through the officers’ gunfire, and to the removal of Zendejas from his vehicle.

Consistent with the regionally-adopted Officer Involved Shooting (OIS) Protocol, the Reno Police Department (hereinafter “RPD”) led the investigation into the shooting of Zendejas.  The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office (hereinafter “WCSO”) provided secondary investigative support, and the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office – Forensic Science Division (hereinafter “FIS”) provided forensic services.  The Washoe County District Attorney’s Office provided oversight and assistance.  The investigation included interviewing witnesses, canvassing the shooting area for additional witnesses, collecting physical evidence, photographing the shooting and surrounding scene, forensically testing collected evidence, obtaining available video evidence, reviewing the Autopsy Protocol of Zendejas, and interviewing the officers involved in the shooting.

Upon completion of the entire investigation, all police reports, along with FIS forensic reports, collected documentation, photographs, witness statements, recorded audio and video of the incident, dispatch recordings, and recorded interviews were submitted to the Washoe County District Attorney’s Office on March 2, 2021, for a final determination of whether the shooting of Zendejas was legally justified.  No criminal charges against Officers Radley or Berumen were recommended by RPD.

The District Attorney’s evaluation included reviewing hundreds of pages of reports and documents, which included interviews with police and civilian witnesses.  It further included the review of all photographs, officer dashcam and BWC videos, video and audio recordings, and an examination of the scene of the shooting.  This report follows.

Based on the available evidence and the applicable legal authorities, it is the opinion of the District Attorney that the shooting of Zendejas by SPD Officer Radley and SPD Officer Berumen was justified and not a criminal act.