A Tucson man was jailed this week on suspicion of aggravated assault on a Pinal County deputy.
The deputy was parked along southbound Arizona 77 in Catalina just before 4 a.m. Tuesday when he says he noticed the driver of a black, H2 Hummer, John Contreras, 31, behaving erratically.
Contreras brought his Hummer “to a sudden stop behind the deputy and turned off his lights while blocking southbound traffic,” said Tim Gaffney, spokesman for the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office, in a news release.
“Contreras revved the SUV’s engine and drove forward, causing the deputy to make an evasive move to avoid a collision.”
The deputy followed Contreras, to make a traffic stop.
“Contreras attempted to cause the deputy to wreck several times by slamming on his brakes to a stop while continuing to drive carelessly by swerving into all lanes of travel,” Gaffney said.
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After about five miles, Contreras turned into the driveway of an industrial property where a locked gate forced him to stop, according to the sheriff’s report. He then put his SUV in reverse and rammed the deputy’s patrol car before fleeing again. The deputy continued his pursuit while the vehicle chase reached speeds of 80 miles per hour. During the chase, Contreras struck multiple highway signs, the release states.
A second sheriff’s unit deployed tire-deflation devices across Arizona 77, which flattened the front and rear passenger side tires on the Hummer, but that didn’t stop the driver.
“Contreras continued south as his tires deflated and came apart down to the rims, causing him to lose speed,” Gaffney said. At an intersection Contreras “turned aggressively and rammed the deputy’s vehicle causing it to stop.”
Deputies ordered Contreras out of his Hummer, but he refused to comply, Gaffney said. Eventually the suspect exited his vehicle, but then tried to climb back into the SUV.
That’s when deputies used a Taser on him.
Contreras was booked into the Pinal County jail and held on $50,000 bond in connection with two counts each of aggravated assault on a police officer with a weapon, criminal damage, felony flight, resisting arrest and endangerment, and one count of reckless driving. Additional charges may be added because “deputies suspect Contreras was possibly impaired by alcohol.”
