Domestic violence suspect accused of hitting officer with Jeep ordered to stand trial

A man accused of intentionally striking a San Diego police officer with his vehicle was ordered Monday to stand trial on charges that include attempted murder.

William Stephens, 65, is accused of driving his Jeep toward Officer Matthew Salisbury, one of several officers who responded to Stephens’ Point Loma home on Jan. 23 for a domestic violence report.

Prosecutors allege that as Salisbury approached the driveway, Stephens sped toward the officer, who attempted to evade the vehicle by moving behind a bush located near the driveway’s entrance. Stephens then allegedly turned his Jeep towards the bush, striking Salisbury, then crashing into a mailbox and another vehicle parked on the street.

Salisbury sustained fractures to one of his legs and a dislocated knee, according to evidence presented at a preliminary hearing, which was held to determine whether Stephens will go to trial on the charges.

Officers were called out after Stephens’ wife called 911 and stated her husband had threatened her and cut her hand with a knife.

The woman testified Monday that Stephens had been incensed in the days leading up to Jan. 23 because he had been hired for a federal job the year prior, but that job was eliminated following the Trump administration’s hiring freeze for federal employees.

A series of troubling text messages from Stephens led her to stay at her sister’s home on the night of Jan. 22 because “I feared for my safety,” the woman testified.

She and her sister returned to the Stephens home the following morning and found Stephens inside.

Both women testified that Stephens appeared incredibly angry and demanded they leave.

His wife testified that he said, “Somebody’s going to get hurt. Nobody’s taking me seriously.”

He then grabbed a knife from a knife block in the kitchen and said, “Maybe now you’ll take me seriously,” she testified.

She said she approached Stephens, put her hand up in a defensive gesture when he held the knife too close to her, and attempted to grab the blade, cutting her hand in the process.

The women then exited the house and called 911, at which point Stephens allegedly grabbed the phone out of his wife’s hand and threw it to the ground, according to testimony.

Body-worn camera footage from multiple officers played during the hearing showed the moment when the Jeep strikes Salisbury. After the impact, Stephens then exited the Jeep, was taken to the ground by multiple officers, and handcuffed.

Deputy Public Defender Brianne Murphy argued there was no indication that Stephens intended to strike the officer and suggested he may not have even seen Salisbury.

The attorney said that per his wife and sister-in-law’s testimony regarding his recent behavior, Stephens was likely heavily intoxicated at the time. Murphy described her client as under the influence, “in a blind rage,” and trying to rapidly get away from the home rather than specifically speeding at the officer.

San Diego Superior Court Judge Daniel Goldstein disagreed, stating Stephens had “plenty of room” to drive past Salisbury and other officers on scene, yet veered his Jeep sharply towards the bush Salisbury was hiding behind.