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Man accused of ramming cop cars, biting K-9 officer while being arrested

Posted at 4:30 AM, May 04, 2018
and last updated 2018-05-04 11:14:34-04

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - A man is in police custody accused of trying to ram a minivan into officers' patrol cars.

Police say it all started around 9:45 on Thursday night when a couple of Salt Lake City Metro Gang Units were patrolling the area of 1200 W. Lexington Ave.

They say 46-year-old Raul Perez Amezcua pulled out of a driveway in a minivan and started trying to ram his car into police cars.

Mug shot: Raul Perez Amezcua

Lieutenant Dave Cracroft with Salt Lake City police said the officers were able to dodge Amezcua, but he kept chasing the officers, so they pulled into a nearby parking lot and called for backup.

Amezcua allegedly tried several more times to hit the officers' patrol cars. A Salt Lake City officer then blocked Amezcua in from the front while another blocked him in from behind.

At first, officers used a stun gun on Amezcua but they said it didn’t have any effect on him, so they set a K-9 officer on him.

Police said the dog bit Amezcua, which led to Amezcua biting the dog back.

After a scuffle, they took Amezcua into custody. Police said he's facing a couple of felony charges.

“He may have some mental issues, he may have some chemical issues, maybe both, we don't know," Cracroft said.

The K-9 handler suffered an arm injury during the arrest and went to the hospital for treatment.

“We were very concerned that he was going to have to be shot with the way he was trying to crash into people. Officers were trying to keep him contained because we were really fearful that he would get out and start chasing citizens," Cracroft said.