Ramon Rodriguez, age 21. was arrested for 1 count of Aggravated Assault on a Peace Officer – Minor Injury, 1 count of Aggravated Assault on a Peace Officer with a Dangerous Instrument, 1 count of Prohibited Possessor, 1 count of Unlawful Flight from a Law Enforcement Officer, and 1 count of Criminal Damage, all felony offenses.
On May 21, a Tucson Police Department officer conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by Rodriguez in the 400 Block of East Delano at approximately 10:37 p.m. Rodriguez was not cooperative with the officer, who attempted to get Rodriguez to exit the vehicle. Ultimately, Rodriguez and officer engaged in a physical altercation.
During the course of the fight, the officer ended up standing between the driver’s door and the driver’s floorboard. At that point, Rodriguez backed the vehicle up, collided into an unknown object, and then drove forward, effectively pinning the officer between the door and vehicle. Rodriguez began to flee the scene in his vehicle, dragging the officer for a short distance before he ultimately fell from the vehicle. The officer was transported to a local hospital and was treated for minor, but obvious injuries.
Other officers responded to assist the initial officer. They initiated a pursuit of Rodriguez, as it fled in his vehicle from the area. Rodriguez’s vehicle came to a stop after colliding with vehicle near the intersection of East Grant Road and North Country Club. No one was injured during the course of the collision. Immediately after the collision near East Grant and North Country Club, Rodriguez fled on foot.
Rodriguez was caught a short distance later and taken into custody without further incident.
One of the patrol vehicles that had been involved in the pursuit caught fire just after the pursuit ended. The patrol vehicle had not been involved in any type of collision during the pursuit. It was an older patrol vehicle with over 100,000 miles on it. The fire originated in the passenger, rear tire area. Tucson Fire Department Inspectors assisted with the fire investigation. Their investigation indicated that the fire was a result of the brake line overheating and igniting. Neither the officer, who had been driving the patrol car that caught on fire, nor any other persons were injured as a result of the fire.
Rodriguez was transported and booked into the Pima County Jail.