CHARGES

Convicted Bomber Denies Throwing Explosives at Cops During Car Chase

Daniel Richard Garcia allegedly punched a man unconscious in a church before the pursuit began.

A man previously convicted of a car bombing pleaded not guilty to a dozen charges Wednesday stemming from allegations that he threw pipe bombs at police during a car chase in San Francisco. Daniel Richard Garcia, 42, of Concord, denied charges including six counts of detonating an explosive device with intent to commit murder, the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office said in a statement. Police say Garcia entered the Saints Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church in the city on Sunday and demanded money from one of the worshippers. When his demands were ignored, Garcia “violently assaulted” the parishioner, punching them temporarily unconscious, police said. He then drove off and allegedly threw two pipe bombs at pursuing officers, but no one was harmed by the devices, and he was ultimately arrested in Martinez. Court documents note that Garcia was previously convicted of detonating a homemade bomb under an SUV of a former tenant in 2011.