Former Danville officer gets six-year prison sentence for killing unarmed man

Andrew Hall, the former Danville police officer who shot and killed unarmed motorist Laudemer Arboleda in 2018, was sentenced to six years in state prison Friday by a Contra Costa County Superior Court judge in Martinez.

Because he was convicted of a violent felony — assault with a firearm — Hall must spend at least 85 percent of his sentence in prison before being eligible for parole — 5.1 years.

Judge Terri Mockler said:

“The people of Contra Costa County put their trust in Mr. Hall to protect them, and he violated that trust.”

The judge added:

“(Arboleda) did not deserve to die for evading a police officer. That is really the crux of this. While he may have violated the law, it was no law that carried a sentence of death for him.”

Hall’s attorney Harry Stern objected to the description of Hall carrying out a death sentence, considering that the jury chose not to convict Hall on a manslaughter charge. to which Mockler conceded:

“Point well taken. But the point is he did not deserve to die.”

Hall received three years for the assault with a firearm charge itself, plus another three for the enhancement of inflicting great bodily harm. He could’ve received another three years for the use of the firearm, which Mockler dismissed, saying it was already factored into the original charge.

Hall shot and killed 33-year-old Arboleda at the end of a slow-speed police pursuit in Danville on Nov. 3, 2018. He shot him nine times as the Newark man pulled away at 6 mph.

Arboleda led officers on a slow-speed pursuit after someone called police to report Arboleda knocked on their door. Arboleda, whose family said he was hospitalized earlier that year for mental illness, pulled over multiple times, only to drive away from police. At one point, officers drew their guns without shooting as Arboleda drove away.

Hall was only involved at the very end, when he pulled in front of Arboleda at the corner of Front and Diablo streets. He exited his car and stood near the Honda’s front right side. As Arboleda tried pulling away, Hall discharged his weapon 10 times, hitting Arboleda with nine bullets. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Hall’s lawyers said the officer was only trying to protect himself from an oncoming vehicle, though video shows that many of the shots came from the vehicle passenger side as Arboleda tried driving away. The car ended up crossing Diablo Road and colliding with an oncoming car.

An initial investigation by the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office — which contracts with Danville for police service — cleared Hall of wrongdoing.

Charges weren’t filed in the Arboleda case until Hall made more news by shooting and killed another man in March 2021 in Danville, when he killed 32-year-old transient Tyrell Wilson near the Sycamore Valley Road overpass of Interstate Highway 680.

Police say Wilson approached Hall with a knife, which seems to be confirmed in bodycam video. Judge Terri Mockler ruled the Wilson case couldn’t be used against Hall during the Arboleda trial.

Authorities are still investigating the second shooting, and no charges have been filed.

Shortly after the October verdict, Contra Costa County agreed to pay $4.9 million to Arboleda’s family to settle a lawsuit.