A Butte County jury convicted Lorayna Patricia Gonsalves, 40, of attempting to run over a Chico police officer following a chaotic automobile chase in downtown Chico. According to Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey, the incident occurred in September 2023, and ended with Gonsalves attempting to run down the officer on the sidewalk.
Ramsey stated that on September 23, 2023, Chico Police got complaints of a careless motorist striking another vehicle and fleeing the area. Officers spotted the suspect’s black Volkswagen and attempted a traffic stop. The vehicle sped away, running red lights and nearly hitting automobiles and pedestrians. Officers called off the chase due to the reckless driving, but they continued to watch the vehicle’s direction.
Recently departed Chico Police Lt. Terry Tupper said that he saw Gonsalves swerve and accelerate toward a patrol officer on foot, seemingly in an attempt to hurt him. Tupper used his car to ram the Volkswagen, which was still attempting to flee despite being damaged, Ramsey explained.
Several officers arrived, and after a brief confrontation, Gonsalves was detained. Ramsey stated that this act is part of Gonsalves’ record of violent behavior, which includes two past convictions for major offenses.
In 2007, Gonsalves pled guilty to home invasion robbery and was sentenced to four years in jail. In 2014, she was convicted of another home invasion robbery with a weapon and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Ramsey stated that her conviction was reversed in 2021 owing to a trial error, and she was released on parole in March 2022.
Butte County prosecutor Michael Tufaro claimed that Gonsalves was desperate to avoid arrest, claiming that she “wasn’t going to go to jail that day, even if it meant he [the officer] didn’t get to go home.”
The jury debated for less than three hours before convicting Gonsalves of felony assault on a peace officer, hit and run, fleeing a police car, and resisting arrest. Gonsalves faces a state prison sentence ranging from 25 years to life for her prior offenses. Ramsey said she will remain in Butte County Jail without bail until her sentence on June 4, 2025.
