Suspect Arrested After Trying To Take Officer’s Gun In Prolonged Fight

February 2, 2012 11:58 PM

Samuel Ramos Flores (Tracy Police Department)

TRACY (CBS13) – An attempt to speak with an oddly-behaving man suddenly devolved into a violent fight Thursday when a suspect grabbed an officer’s service weapon, leading to a prolonged struggle and injuries to both the officer and suspect, authorities said.

The Tracy Police Department said an officer made contact with a Hispanic male dressed only in underwear in a residential neighborhood on Hawthorne Drive, but without any provocation, the man lunged at the officer and tried to wrestle his handgun out of his holster.

Authorities said the man, identified as 31-year-old Samuel Flores De Ramos, had previously threatened to take an officer’s gun and force police to kill him during an encounter with Tracy officers on January 31. In that incident, officers transported him to the hospital for treatment.

Caught off guard by the assault Thursday, the officer used one hand to hold his gun in his holster and the other to strike back while both men fell to the ground. Authorities said the situation warranted the use of deadly force, but the officer instead used “alternative defensive tactics” to keep the suspect away from his weapon.

The melee raged for two and a half minutes before additional officers arrived on the scene. It eventually took five officers to gain control of Ramos and take him into custody, authorities said.

Despite the violent encounter and disturbing mugshot of Ramos, authorities said the suspect only suffered abrasions and contusions and is expected to recover.

The officer was also wounded and has not been medically cleared to return to duty.

Ramos is in custody of the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Department on a number of charges, including assault on a police officer and attempting to disarm an officer.

elliott the Cat

Would like to see that the Cop looked liked ?
Cotton mouth

No.
throwsTHUGSinvolcano

good, the animal probably needed it. He was lucky the cop did not kill ‘it’.
pynaetlb

I don’t get it, I would have shot the guy.
mike

Are you going to scream police brutality? Hey if you don’t want your face to look like this, don’t try to take a gun from a cop in your underwear… Sounds pretty simple…
Ric Brown

good old a$$ whipin ,lucky to be alive ,most cops would have just shot him ,they like to do that,,,
Dusty

I would have shot him …. save us some court time..
timatoe

Love how the spin is here…. “Despite the violent encounter and disturbing mugshot of Ramos, authorities said the suspect only suffered abrasions and contusions and is expected to recover” Obviously trying to imply more. Wonder if CBS 13 staff knows that abrasions are scratches and contusions are bruises, hmm exactly what’s shown in the mug shot.
Neighborsvoice_in_Idaho

Now that’s the way you take a dirtbag into custody. Maybe Tracy police should show Sac County and Sac City PD the same methods.
david

the officer should have killed him after he was violently attacked by this criminal. the officer could have used deadly force but decided against it. taking him into custody will not solve anything as the criminal will be released in time and next time might just kill an officer, or officers, or innocent citizens or even children.
Oh well

The office would have been justified in shooting him.
TLor

He didn’t shoot him because 1) he would have been put on administraitive leave and 2) lots of paperwork to fill uut.
But glad the guy didn’t get a slap on the hand for this one!
Tapestry

these guys get worse beatings on any given Saturday night
Retiire old Guy

Alot of racists making unAmerican comments. Disgusting.
grapevine

Very Good picture, has a head ache today, that guy is very lucky the office did not use deadly force, even thou it looks like he got beat down pretty good.
stan atkinson

Cops should have used the pavement as a backstop and blew his freakin’ brains out!
stan atkinson

So what’s your point, loser?!
Jim King

Were there any witnesses…or, better yet…..a video of this altercation? I would bet the original officer and responding officers took turns playing punching bag with this guy……
Those aren’t “one handed” injuries !!
kakes

maybe the writer needs to look up a few words in the dictionary!
Whitey

Uh, detective King, it said they finally needed 5 officers to contain him. If they had to beat the $hit out of him, so be it. Meth boy, running around town in his girlie panties, tried to grab the officer’s gun. That’s grounds for getting your head blown off… which is what I wish had happened.

When De Ramos De Roach didn’t follow commands, didn’t choose wisely in terms of leaving the gun alone, and didn’t refrain from more fighting when multiple officers held him down, he willfully waived his rights to not have his a$$ kicked. Well, I say “rights”… assuming he’s an American citizen.
Jonathan

Yeah, right…that’s the cop’s STORY…..I bet it did NOT happen the way the cop said it did. COWARD COPS!
Jonathan

DUH! You think???!!!!
Cowboy

@Jonathan … you’re an IDIOT
Cowboy

@Jonathan … let me repeat you are a #&*%ing IDIOT!
Whitey

Oh, wow, Jonathan, didn’t realize you were there! I guess you can tell us all the truth now since you have first hand knowledge… you know… being right there at the time.

Do tell…
Dianne

A parolee did just the same in Sacramento about a month ago-a suspect tried to punch the officer and then ran-once caught up to-there was an altercation between the suspect and officer and the suspect was not killed-so anytime a suspect grabs for an officers gun you think because the suspect is not killed it’s a fabricated story??
Have you ever tried dealing with an out of control person on drugs? Until you can be in the shoes at the time of the incident please leave your speculations out of comments….they are fabricated lies as well.
Let’s elect Jonathan for Mayor

@Jonathan…you win the award for being the dumbest POS today.
D

Another case of having an excuse to justify one’s behavior…Poor Sam, he was just walking around in his underwear and the officer had nothing better to do so he choose to beat up Sam to pass the time……..
dconn

Are you people serious? Did you read the report? The cop did that one handed and solo? Look at his chest and face. That is no way all fist, and the damage doesn’t match the story at all. You people are ignorant. Drink as much of the Kool Aid as you can handle. You are going to need it.
DConn

Also, since when is this a police state and citizens work for them. “GOOD JOB BEATING A GUY HALF TO DEATH!” Why didn’t they send him in for medical care in January? The last big case like this, was a mental patient, nobody cared about, he burned down the Roseville Galleria. That is misconduct on the counties part. Not the mental patient. He has a history of mental disease. Help him, fix him, don’t act like he is nobody. Have some compassion for the ill.
rmcsticks

your an Idiot, your the reason they keep getting off for the cr ap they do.
rmcsticks

maybe you should read the story again egghead, this guy was out to die by cop. Im sorry his wish was’nt granted…..
dougspair

Here in Sacto, a few years back, I knew a cop who was 6’1″ and 275 pounds, he said guys1/2 his size would try fighting him. Usually in N. Sacto on the Fri-Sat nights of course.
Pat

Okay, if we’re arbitrarily throwing blame around that is grounded in nothing at all, then you’re an idiot and you’re the reason this nation’s education system is failing.
Tracie Renkiewicz

Of course there are going to be those who think that is accessive and feel sorry for the person who jumped on and A&B’d on officer who was fighting for his life. smh…..I really think there is something wrong with peoples heads today.
no one

Similar incident in Mobile, AL Friday Feb 3rd unfortunately the 36 yr old officer, father of 3 lost his life. Thankfully the Mobile PD killed the worthless cop killer after he shot another officer in the arm. No wasted tax payers money on this killer.
Road Warrior

Sound like someone need to take turns on Jonathan.
Lush Rimbaugh

Idiot was probably drunk !!!! alcohol makes one do stupid things
Granny

We need more Messssican beat downs!!
Jt

Would have been ok with me. But in a hand to hand struggle the safest place for your weapon is in its holster. Too easy to have it take from you, turned toward you, or what ever. Kudos to the cop.
DConn

See below jerk. Re-read the article. The guy has mental problems and has tried before. Why not help him? You dislike the mentally ill too smart guy?
Ha!

List the officers “injuries”. I’d be surprised if they amounted to more than bruised knuckles.
Aunt Harriet

It appears to me that they didn’t beat him enough. They should be showing a picture of this dirty f*%@ in a body bag!