Man Who Fled Police, Rammed Cruiser Pleads No Contest

By Bay City News Service 

A man who rammed a police patrol car last month while fleeing from a Menlo Park traffic stop in a stolen car pleaded no contest to auto theft charges Wednesday, according to the San Mateo County District Attorney’s
Office.

In exchange for the no contest plea, Ivan Gonzalez, 24, will receive a sentence of no more than 90 days in jail and may serve that sentence in a residential drug treatment program, prosecutors said. A hearing to consider the treatment program is scheduled for June 19.

Gonzalez, a San Jose resident, had been pulled over in a 1990 Buick LaSabre for a broken taillight and expired registration at Verbena and Camellia drives on May 4.

But Gonzalez sped away, driving at 45 mph on residential streets until he lost control of the car and crashed into a fence about a fifth of a mile down the road, prosecutors said.

The officer chased him there and pulled up behind the LaSabre. Gonzalez then threw the car in reverse and rammed into the officer’s patrol car, prosecutors said.

The officer, who wasn’t injured, arrested Gonzalez and realized the LaSabre had been stolen. Gonzalez fled to avoid being arrested for auto theft and for several arrest warrants out of San Mateo and Santa Clara
counties, prosecutors said.

He had been charged with three felonies, including evading police, driving without a license and auto theft, but ultimately pleaded no contest to only the auto theft charge, prosecutors said.

He had been also charged in misdemeanor cases involving identity theft and drugs. Prosecutors agreed to dismiss those charges on the condition that he pay restitution in those cases. A restitution hearing is scheduled
for June 23.

Gonzalez remains in custody on $75,000 bail, prosecutors said.