A man charged with driving into a St. Paul police officer last week was arrested, but only after he tried to flee on a bike and crashed into a squad car, according to Minneapolis Park Police.
After Salvador Tomas Torres Garza was charged Aug. 13 with first-degree assault involving use of deadly force against a peace officer, a warrant was issued for his arrest. Torres Garza, 19, allegedly struck an officer with a stolen vehicle. The officer, who bounced off the hood, sustained minor injuries.
The officer’s partner shot at the fleeing vehicle, and Torres Garza escaped uninjured.
Torres Garza was found after St. Paul police officers alerted Minneapolis Park Police he was potentially camping along the Mississippi River, said Robin Smothers, park police public information officer.
On Saturday afternoon, “using their knowledge of transient camps,” park police officers searched and found Torres Garza, Smothers said. He tried to flee on a bicycle, but police apprehended him after he rode into a squad car blocking an escape route.
Torres Garza was taken to a hospital for evaluation and booked into the Ramsey County jail Saturday night. He had warrants in 15 cases, mostly burglaries and auto thefts, according to a jail log.
The attorney representing Torres Garza on the assault charge said he didn’t want to comment on the ongoing case.
