Suspect Who Allegedly Attempted to Ram Palo Alto Police Vehicle Arrested
PALO ALTO (BCN) -- Police in Palo Alto last week arrested a man who allegedly tried to drive his vehicle into an occupied police cruiser.
Ismael Hernandez Rodriguez, 28, of San Jose, was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, resisting arrest and driving under the influence of alcohol, according to the Palo Alto Police Department.
On Sept. 22 at 3:59 p.m., an officer on patrol was driving in the 1400 block of El Camino Real when another vehicle pulled up next to the police cruiser, and the driver started shouting obscenities at the officer.
Police said the driver, later identified as Rodriguez, then pulled in front of the police vehicle, got out of the stopped car in the roadway, challenged the officer and continued to shout obscenities.
Police reported there had been no prior contact between the officer and Rodriguez.
Additional officers arrived at the scene, but after a few minutes of trying to de-escalate the situation, the officers left the scene since the suspect was intent on provoking a confrontation.
The officers met up in a nearby parking lot to debrief the incident.
Rodriguez then got back into his vehicle and pulled behind another officer stopped at a red light and continued to shout obscenities and make gestures out of his window, police said.
When the officer made a U-turn and headed north on El Camino Real, Rodriguez followed, pulled up in the adjacent lane and swerved directly into the officer's lane.
The officer made an evasive maneuver to avoid being struck by the vehicle, police said.
Officers pulled the vehicle over, and attempted to take Rodriguez into custody, but he physically resisted as he was being arrested.
Four officers ended up suffering minor scrapes and cuts during the arrest.
During the ensuing investigation, police determined Rodriguez had been driving under the influence.
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