Photo: Atascosa County Sheriff David Soward
A Texas man is accused of stealing a police car and using that vehicle to intentionally hit "as many police cars and officers as he could." The man, identified as Reynaldo R. Ruiz, 47, confessed to being on an "extended methamphetamine binge," according to Atascosa County Sheriff David Soward.
It all went down around 6 p.m. Sunday (September 4) in Poteet, officials said. Here's what happened:
Poteet police officer J. Salazar just began his shift and was waiting at a stop sign when he heard a car accelerating from behind. His car was struck from behind, causing Salazar to be "shaken." This was when Ruiz drove around and past the officer's car where he was followed to a nearby convenience store. The suspect intentionally ran into the police car again, this time from the front. Witnesses helped Salazar out of the disabled and wrecked police car.
Two more officials then followed in pursuit of Ruiz and he was apprehended and turned over to another Poteet officer. The man was placed in the back of a cop car, but managed to slip out of his handcuffs. He then jumped into the driver seat of the police car and drove away "recklessly and was driving at a high rate of speed toward a fire truck and several firefighters." A separate trooper believed Ruiz was going to intentionally hit another vehicle and fired three shots into the stolen police car, but Ruiz just changed his direction of travel and continued on. He was followed to FM 476 toward Pleasanton where he nearly collided with an oncoming driver. He continued to drive around the area, trying to run over police officers.
Ruiz was finally tased and apprehended after he collided with another police car. No officers were seriously injured.
The suspect was transported to a local hospital and was then released and booked into the Atascosa County Jail. Ruiz admitted to police he "intentionally attempted to hit as many police cars and officers as he could" and also confessed to "being on an extended methamphetamine binge." Ruiz was charged with two counts of aggravated assault on a police officer with a deadly weapon and felony escape. He'll also face separate charges of one count of aggravated assault on a police officer with a deadly weapon. Bond has not been set yet.