HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — A man was accused of stealing a truck and nearly hitting a police officer.
The Guam Police Department responded Thursday to a complaint of a theft in Tumon and met with a man who said his truck was stolen after he was leaving a restaurant with his family.
Rauel Jose Quinata eventually was identified and arrested in connection to the theft, but not until after officers followed the truck to a residence, according to a magistrate’s complaint filed in the Superior Court of Guam.
The complaint stated that once police responded, they were informed the truck had the tailgate down and then an officer saw it speeding in the Tumon area and followed it. Officers also saw the truck drive through a red light and dodge other vehicles.
Officers followed the car until it parked at a residence and Quinata opened the truck door. One officer then made verbal commands to Quinata to exit the truck, but he refused and closed the driver’s door and the officer saw the reverse lights go on, the complaint stated.
“(Officer) observed the truck reverse at a high rate of speed causing him to jump out of the way and dive into a junk pile containing car parts and scrap metal. (Officer) observed the truck drive into the patrol vehicle where the driver side door of the patrol car was damaged,” according to the complaint.
Quinata allegedly also hit a parked car in the area before coming to a stop. Officers then were able to subdue Quinata after a struggle because of Quinata’s “size and actions.” According to the complaint, Quinata resisted arrest by punching and kicking.
The injured officer was found to have sustained an inch-wide puncture wound to his calf “where he stated the injury could have been caused when he jumped into the scrap metal,” the complaint stated.
Quinata was charged with theft of property as a second-degree felony, assault on a peace officer as a third-degree felony with a special allegation of a deadly weapon used and criminal mischief as a third-degree felony.
Rauel Quinata
