Antioch city councilmember surprised by misdemeanor charge

ANTIOCH, Calif. - The Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office on Tuesday charged Antioch City Councilmember Tamisha Torres-Walker with interfering with law enforcement when they were called to her home on a report of shots fired last month.

It was a surprise to Torres-Walker. When interviewed Wednesday, said it was the first she had heard of the charge. "No one contacted me," she said.

A police report on the Oct. 3 incident said neighbor calls and the city's gunshot detection system had indicated shots fired at a large party at Torres-Walker's home. Police reported finding seven shell casings at the scene.

The council member said Wednesday, "It's news to me. It's not surprising. This Police Department has been harassing me since I was sworn into office."

She denied that anyone fired any shots at her home on Oct. 3 or that any shell casings were found on her property.

"It's another attack on me and my family. Shots are fired almost every night in that neighborhood," she said.

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Torres-Walker, a community organizer, has reported she was arrested 22 times, all for minor offenses, by the age of 18. In 2009 she was convicted for setting fire to an apartment building, and managed to enter a rehab program for alcohol after spending a year in county jail.

No one at the Police Department was immediately available for comment Wednesday.