Man who pled guilty to killing Hollywood officer in 2021 set to be sentenced

A South Florida man who pleaded guilty to killing a Hollywood Police officer back in 2021 is set to be sentenced on Wednesday.

Jason Banegas, 23, pleaded guilty last October to shooting and killing Hollywood Officer Yandy Chirino during a struggle in 2021.

The 28-year-old Chirino encountered Banegas while searching for a burglary suspect in the Emerald Hills neighborhood of Hollywood. The two got into a scuffle, and Banegas, who was armed with a gun, shot Chirino twice, killing him.

Chirino, who’d been with the department since 2017, was the first Hollywood officer to be shot and killed in the line of duty since 1982.

Hollywood Police Department

Hollywood Police Department

Banegas was charged with first-degree murder and faced the possibility of the death penalty, even after he pleaded guilty, but a jury decided to recommend life in prison as his sentence in December.

Banegas later sought to change his guilty plea to a not guilty plea, but a judge last month denied his motion to change the plea.