One Injured, One Arrested in Menlo Park Shooting

By Bay City News

A chaotic scene in Menlo Park on Wednesday night resulted in a victim shot, a police officer injured and a suspect behind bars on suspicion of attempted murder, a police commander said today.

Dozens of people were outside an apartment complex in the 1300 block of Willow Road, a frontage road lined with apartment buildings, when two men got into an argument around 6 p.m.

Narcotics Enforcement Team officers in the Belle Haven area who were investigating an unrelated midday shooting responded to the scene to defuse a violent exchange between the two acquaintances, Menlo Park police Cmdr. Dave Bertini said.

"We received a call about a man with a gun and officers were there immediately," Bertini said.

Police located the suspect, Jaime Romero, 21, who then got into a struggle with an officer, Bertini said. Romero was detained and the handgun was recovered, and the officer suffered moderate injuries, according to police.

Minutes later, police located a victim who had been shot once "in the lower extremities," allegedly by Romero, who had first threatened the 24-year-old victim with a baseball bat, Bertini said.

The victim was transported to Stanford Hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.

Romero, who had not had previous contacts with Menlo Park police, was transported to San Mateo County Jail and booked for attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon and resisting arrest.

Police do not believe the incident was gang-related.