Fugitive Assaults Police Officer While Resisting Arrest

By: Jose G. Landa, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2016

A 26 Year Old Male fugitive from Bexar County, Texas, Genaro Contreras Ramirez, assaulted an Eagle Pass Police Department Officer while resisting arrest by striking the local police officer on the face with a fist on Monday March 28, 2016, highlighting the dangers and risks facing our law enforcement officers while performing their duties and responsibilities in protecting and serving our community.

Eagle Pass Police Officers responded to an incident near the 57 Mobile Home Park, located at 2500 Main Street, where two individuals had been spotted and signaled out as being sought for a previous incident on that very same day.

Once officers made contact with the two male individuals, Contreras Ramirez fled the scene and local police officers initiated a foot chase, eventually catching up and detaining Contreras Ramirez. Contreras Ramirez began to fight and throw fist blows, striking one of the Eagle Pass Police Officer in the face with his fist.

Contreras Ramirez was arrested and charged with evading arrest and detention, assault of a public officer, and resisting arrest, search or transport. He is currently detained at the Maverick County

Tom Bowles Detention Center and a Magistrate placed a bond of $15,000 on him in order to be released on bail.

Contreras Ramirez is from Eagle Pass, Texas.

Assault on a Peace Officer in the State of Texas is a third degree felony under the Texas Penal Code Chapter 22. Assault Offenses are considered a Class A misdemeanor, except that the offense is a felony of the third degree if the offense is committed against:1) a person the actor knows is a public servant while the public servant is lawfully discharging an official duty, or in retaliation or on account of an exercise of official power or performance of an official duty as a public servant.

An Eagle Pass Business Journal search of public records found that there have been at least three incidents in the past 13 months that have resulted in a peace officer getting assaulted in Maverick County.

Local law enforcement officers have spoken up about the issues and problems concerning the increase of assaults against peace officers or evading arrest incidents they encounter while out on duty. Local peace officers recognize that how they handle every incident is crucial due to the dangers and risks involved in performing their duties and unforeseen behavior of potential defendants while being investigated, interrogated, detained or arrested. Every potential defendant behavior is unpredictable and a law enforcement officer must be trained and prepared to respond to each situation which may occur.

“ Domestic Violence incidents are the ones that you as an officer have to be very careful because you often don’t know what you may be walking into,” said a local police officer which requested to remain anonymous.