Brinda Sue McCoy trial starts

The following information was released by the Orange County District Attorney.

Editor’s note: Orange County Breeze has been following developments in the case of Brinda Sue McCoy. We had planned on attending the trial. However, due to deadlines for our premiere print issue — to be printed and distributed a week from today — we cannot travel to Santa Ana for the trial. Should the trial continue through next week, we will try to be there at the end.

A woman faces trial today for shooting at responding police officers after calling 911 and initiating stand-off. Brinda Sue McCoy, 49, Cypress, is charged with six felony counts of assault with a semi-automatic firearm on a peace officer and one felony count of discharging a firearm with gross negligence with sentencing enhancements for the personal discharge of a firearm. If convicted, she faces a maximum sentence of 61 years and eight months in state prison. Opening statements are expected to begin today, Thursday, May 24, 2012 at 10:30 a.m. in Department C-45, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana.

At approximately 7:00 p.m. on Dec. 16, 2010, McCoy is accused of calling 911 and stating she needed police assistance. Cypress Police Department officers responded to the defendant’s home and attempted to get McCoy to come out of her residence.

McCoy is accused of refusing to leave her house, pointing a firearm at her head and the ceiling before pointing it directly at the police officers outside. The officers warned the defendant that, if she fired her weapon, she could hurt one of the officers positioned behind vehicles in front of her house. Despite this warning, McCoy is accused of firing the gun twice from inside her home at police officers who were stationed behind two parked vehicles outside.

Special Weapons and Tactics officers used less-than lethal force to subdue and arrest the defendant.

Senior Deputy District Attorney Rebecca Olivieri of the Special Prosecutions Unit is prosecuting this case.