Sacramento County man convicted of carjackings and deputy shootout that was captured on video

A jury has convicted a Sacramento County man who was wounded while exchanging gunfire with deputies in 2021 during a desperate attempt to escape after carjacking two vehicles and trying to steal two others, prosecutors said.

Kevin Slaughter, now 46, of North Highlands, suffered critical injuries in the Christmas Eve shootout with the deputies in Carmichael. He was treated at a hospital and booked five days later at the Sacramento County Main Jail.

This week, a Sacramento Superior Court jury found Slaughter guilty of robbery, attempted carjacking, assault with a semiautomatic firearm and two counts of carjacking, the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office announced Thursday in a news release.

Slaughter also was convicted of attempted murder of a peace officer and three counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm on a peace officer.

The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office in early February 2022 released edited and narrated video of the shootout, which included audio clips of 911 calls, dashboard camera video, body camera video and security camera video.

First carjacking led to Christmas Eve shootout

The events that led to the shootout in a busy Carmichael intersection began around 6 p.m. Dec. 24, 2021. The Sheriff’s Office received a call from a man who reported he was victim of a carjacking. He said he was leaving work in the 9800 block of Business Park Drive in Rancho Cordova when a suspect pointed a gun at him and demanded the keys to his Ford Explorer.

The suspect then drove away in the Ford Explorer and left the victim in the parking lot. Rancho Cordova police officers arrived at the scene and tracked the Ford Explorer using GPS to the intersection of Walnut and El Camino avenues in Carmichael. The Sheriff’s Office is contracted to provide police services in Rancho Cordova.

Sheriff’s deputies went to an apartment complex in the 5100 block of El Camino Avenue and spotted the stolen Ford Explorer unoccupied in a parking lot. As the deputies began to create a perimeter around the apartment complex, a man matching the suspect’s description walked across the street in front of a deputy’s patrol vehicle.

Other deputies arrived as the suspect, later identified as Slaughter, ran west on El Camino Avenue before attempting three carjackings at the intersection of Walnut and El Camino, sheriff’s officials said.

The video shows a patrol vehicle dashboard camera that captured the beginning of the shootout about 6:40 p.m. that night.

Sheriff’s officials said a deputy arrived at the intersection as Slaughter attempted the first carjacking and fired four gunshots at the deputy. Prosecutors said Slaughter tried to carjack a woman, but that attempt failed.

Slaughter then ran to another car stopped at the intersection, but that carjacking attempt failed when he tried to open the driver’s door and the driver sped off, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

The third carjacking attempt at the intersection was successful. Slaughter pointed the gun at the driver and three passengers in a Toyota Prius and ordered them to get out of the car, prosecutors said.

Victims ducked their heads as gunfire was heard

The sheriff’s video shows the four occupants got out of the Prius moments before more gunshots were heard. They ran away, ducking their heads as the gunfire was heard. The video shows the Prius turned the corner and drove away shortly before deputies followed in their vehicles.

The car chase ended shortly after, when the suspect drove into a nearby parking lot and got out of the Prius. Prosecutors said Slaughter then fired the gun at three deputies until his firearm was empty. The deputies returned fire, and Slaughter was hit once, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

The video shows Slaughter fell to the ground as the Prius continued moving forward on its own at a slow speed before coming to a stop.

Sheriff’s officials said deputies provided immediate aid to Slaughter until medics arrived and took him to a hospital. No deputies or bystanders were injured.

The sheriff’s video includes a photo of a stolen .40-caliber Glock 22 handgun recovered at the scene.

Slaughter faces a maximum sentence of 369 years to life in prison. Prosecutors said Slaughter has two previous convictions of robbery and attempted robbery that are considered strikes under the California’s “Three Strikes” law.

On Thursday, Slaughter remained in custody at the Sacramento County Main Jail. He is scheduled to return for his sentencing hearing Nov. 17 in Sacramento Superior Court.