Marine in Pleasant Hill standoff pleads not guilty
MARTINEZ, Calif. (KRON) — At the Contra Costa County courthouse, supporters of Chunliam “Nai” Saechao gathered in support of the U.S. Marine and retired police officer. On Thursday, Saechao pleaded not guilty to attempting to murder Pleasant Hill police SWAT team members.
On December 7, Saechao got into a lengthy standoff with a SWAT team when he locked the doors to his house, shot his wife through a garage, shot at SWAT vehicles, and refused to surrender to police, according to the Pleasant Hill Police Department.
Family members said they are grateful SWAT team members were ultimately able to take the 40-year-old Marine into custody without using lethal force. His wife recovered at a hospital.
Saechao’s defense team asserts that he suffered a “mental health episode” before and during the standoff, and he is innocent of the charges.
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Defense attorney Tyler Smith said, “I’m hopeful our legal team can shed light on the ordeal officers face when trying to get a PTSD retirement. They are alienated and alone and are not given any real treatment to get better. Instead, they are paid to go away, sometimes without even a thank you.”
Saechao was a highly respected detective for the Pittsburg Police Department for several years.
When he retired from the police force in 2022, PPD wrote on Instagram, “Detective Saechao has been a valued member of the Investigations Division where he was primarily responsible for Domestic Violence Investigations.” While serving in the Marines, he was deployed by the military to Iraq.
A large crowd of supporters held signs outside the courthouse stating “We support police,” and “Mental health matters.”
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Defense attorneys Tyler Smith and Curtis Briggs said they took on this case to raise awareness of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. They say Saechao needed help dealing with the emotional strains of his job, which played a factor in his retirement, and triggered the mental health episode in December.
His wife is opposing a protective order imposed by the court that prevents her from communicating with her husband while he is in the jail’s mental health unit, attorneys said. Saechao is still in a fragile state, and his wife is his primary support person, attorneys said.
“He did not shoot his wife, we will prove this,” Smith said.
Police Chief Scott Vermillion said Saechao shot police vehicles dozens of times using an assault rifle and shotgun. Saechao has expert military training in firearms and combat, Vermillion said.
The DA’s Office stated that he also “shot at officers who were in the process of evacuating residents from nearby homes. Bullets also struck a police vehicle during the evacuation, which had two officers inside.”
While he was barricaded inside his Cleopatra Drive home, Saechao continuously posted on social media, prosecutors said. One tweet stated, “Come try to kill me if you dare I’ll kill you back.” Another tweet stated, “And just so you know I am perfectly sane.”
On December 9, Saechao walked out of his house, with his hands up, and a gun on his hip, police said.
The Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office charged the Marine with nine felony counts, including attempted murder of police officers, assault with a firearm, and injuring a spouse. During his court appearance on Thursday, Saechao was still walking with a limp. He remains behind bars.
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