Santa Cruz Man Arrested in Attempted Carjacking, Murder: He Pulled the Trigger, but the Gun Didn't Fire

A 46-year-old father's life was saved Wednesday when a gunman fired into his chest but the gun didn't go off.

The gunman, trying to carjack a Volkswagon Passat filled with a family of four from Live Oak-- including a 3-year-old-- had put the wrong sized bullets into the .38 caliber revolver.

"Thank God they're not very smart," said prosecutor Ross Taylor, who had just finished having the bond raised on the suspect, John Thomas, from $150,000 to $500,000 in Judge Timothy Volkmann's courtroom.

Thomas, from Santa Cruz, was recently released from prison for an assault with a knife and has two domestic assaults on his record. In court Friday, he shook his head signaling no while the judge read the charge against him in this bail hearing. 

The victims were delivering tamales to their son's teacher and were parked, when Thomas allegedly pointed a gun at them and demanded their car. He pounded his gun on the window to try and break it and get in, police said.
The mother, in the passenger seat, took off with her 3-year-old son. Their 15-year-old son was in the building delivering the holiday food.

Thomas pointed the gun at the driver's chest and pulled the trigger several times, police said. It didn't go off because he was using bullets for a semi-automatic pistol instead of the longer ones needed for the revolver.

Police reacted quickly when the call came in from neighbors who heard Thomas screaming demands for the car. They found him walking away on the 300 block of Ocean Street. They found the gun discarded nearby.

While investigating this case, police were told by another driver that Thomas had pulled a gun on him and tried to get his car.

Prosecutor Taylor said he would ask for life in prison for Thomas. 

As police were investigating the case, they searched Thomas's house on the 300 block of Soquel Avenue and found his son, Brandon Thomas, 21, with a loaded 9mm handgun. They said he is a Norteno gang member. He was booked on suspicion of possession of a loaded firearm and participation in a street gang and is being held on $100,000 bail.