Police: Man bit Alton officers, escaped from moving squad car

ALTON — A "highly intoxicated" man bit two officers and jumped out of a moving police vehicle early Thursday morning, officials said.

Juan Carlos Gonzalez, 25, of Alamo, was arrested about 3:20 a.m. near the intersection of 5 Mile Line and Bryan Road, according to Alton Assistant Police Chief Enrique Sotelo.

An officer pulled Gonzalez over on suspicion of reckless driving and ran his license plate number through a database, said Jerry Stock, an Alton police investigator. The officer attempted to arrest Gonzalez because the Ford Ranger the man was driving was reported stolen to the Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office.

The man became aggressive toward the officer and attempted to stab him with a screwdriver, Stock said.

"He was very combative," he said. "He just started lashing out."

Three more officers were called to the location as backup, and Gonzalez began to punch and kick at them, Sotelo said. The man eventually bit two of them, tearing a piece of flesh from an Alton officer's knee and biting his finger, according to the assistant chief. The officers managed to handcuff the man and force him into a squad car.

On the way to the police station, though, Gonzalez kicked out the squad car's rear passenger window and jumped out while the vehicle was going about 15 mph, Stock said. Still handcuffed, the man ran a short distance before officers caught up to him and placed him in the vehicle again.

Although Gonzalez only stands about 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighs about 150 pounds, "he was able to give a good fight to three officers," Stock said. "He really didn't want to get arrested."

The man was likely under the influence of narcotics, Stock said.

The officer bitten on the knee and finger was taken to a local hospital, where he was treated for minor injuries. He was released about 8 a.m. Thursday. The second officer who suffered bite wounds did not require hospital treatment.

Gonzalez is scheduled to be arraigned today and will likely face charges of possession of a stolen vehicle, evading arrest, resisting arrest and criminal mischief, as well as three counts of aggravated assault against a peace officer.

The Alamo man is a registered sex offender, Stock said.

He has previously been convicted of evading arrest with a vehicle and has been arrested several times on charges of driving while intoxicated, according to public records.

He remained at the Alton Jail as of Thursday evening.

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Ana Ley covers law enforcement and general assignments for The Monitor. She can be reached at (956) 683-4428.