OGDEN — A Springville man was charged Tuesday with ramming an occupied patrol car, leading officers on a chase and then continuing to fight with police as he was being arrested.
Damien Mestas, 26, is charged in 2nd District Court with four counts of assault on a police officer, a second-degree felony; failing to stop for an officer, a third-degree felony; assault on an officer and failing to stop at the command of an officer, both class A misdemeanors; interfering with an arresting officer, and possession of drug paraphernalia, both class B misdemeanors; and causing a crash with property damage, a class C misdemeanor.
On Dec. 11, members of the Ogden Metro Gang Task Force were out looking for Mestas, a parole fugitive, and spotted him in an SUV. Officers attempted to block him in using their vehicles.
“Damien immediately put the vehicle in reverse and punched the gas, accelerating directly into the front of another detective’s vehicle that had two detectives in the front seat. Damien hit the vehicle with such force that the vehicle was immediately disabled,” according to the charging documents.
Mestas then allegedly sped forward, nearly hitting more detectives.
“Damien then drove through a fence, and over two large boulders before exiting out onto Grant Avenue where he headed south,” according to the charges. Ogden police spotted the SUV three blocks away and initiated a chase that lasted about 20 minutes.
“During the pursuit, Damien drove through multiple stop signs, red lights and hit civilian vehicles, and two Ogden Police Department patrol vehicles were disabled,” the charges state.
Police lost sight of Mestas but reported finding him hours later at a residence hiding inside a clothes dryer.
“Damien attempted to run out of the back door of the residence and tried to hop a fence. Officers attempted to take Damien into custody when he kicked an officer in the arm, causing the officer’s arm to go numb,” according to the charges.
Several officers eventually took Mestas to the ground and fought with him as he resisted arrest, the charges say.
After being taken into custody, Mestas allegedly told police he fled because he didn’t want to go back to jail.
Correction: An earlier version said charges were filed Wednesday but they were filed on Tuesday.