Family, police brawl in Mission; police car damaged

MISSION — Broken glass littered the ground near a police car whose rear passenger window had been broken and its frame bent out after a man taken into custody repeatedly smashed his head against it.

A few steps away, a pool of blood marked the scene — in an upscale neighborhood in the 4000 block of Santa Fe Road — where three men struggled with police Wednesday.

The confrontation was set in motion Wednesday morning, when a woman went to the police station to report that she had been the victim of assault and strangulation at the hands of her husband, said Cpl. Manuel Casas, Mission police spokesman.

The woman showed ligature marks on her wrists and feet and had some marking on her neck, Casas said.

Authorities continued their investigation and obtained an arrest warrant for the 24-year-old suspect on the charge of felony assault. But when they arrived at the house about 3 p.m. to speak with the suspect and serve the warrant, the suspect’s 22-year-old brother and 67-year-old father joined in stating that they were not going to let the officer take their relative, Casas said.

The two detectives that had arrived to serve the warrant called for backup and at least six police officers arrived at the scene to help the detectives, who were struggling with the men.

At the end of the confrontation, one of the men was transported to a local hospital for a head injury he sustained during the struggle. That injury was not related to the head-on-door pounding by the 24-year-old that damaged the police car.

After the struggle, authorities also served a search warrant on the house, where they found items that reinforced the woman’s claims about being tied up.

At the scene, the suspect’s mother said she was embarrassed by the entire situation and asked not to be named.

She said her son is a military veteran and that he had been subjected to physical and emotional abuse at the hands of his wife.

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Ildefonso Ortiz covers law enforcement and general assignments for The Monitor. He can be reached at iortiz@themonitor.com and (956) 683-4437.

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