Officer Hurt in Nabbing Theft Suspect

A Costa Mesa police officer suffered cuts and a twisted knee while wrestling with a suspected truck thief who tried to stab him with a screwdriver, police said.

Officer Jose Torres spotted one of two refrigerated trucks stolen late Sunday from a Costa Mesa produce company and followed it to the San Diego Freeway, Costa Mesa Police Lt. Ron Smith said.

The man driving the truck swerved several times, pretending he was about to exit, then finally pulled off at Beach Boulevard, Smith said.

The man, identified by police as Manuel Ramirez, 28, of Los Angeles, jumped out at the McFadden Avenue intersection and Torres chased him, Smith said.

When Torres tackled Ramirez, the men rolled down an embankment, then Ramirez pulled a Phillips screwdriver and jabbed the officer in the left arm, Smith said.

“Pretty minor scratches, all things considered,” Smith said.

Torres subdued Ramirez and the man was arrested on suspicion of grand theft auto, assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer and resisting arrest, Smith said. He was booked into Costa Mesa City Jail in lieu of $50,000 bail.

“I think Officer Torres showed remarkable restraint in not using deadly force,” Smith said. “He would have been within his rights to do so with Ramirez stabbing at him with a deadly weapon. He handled this very well.”

Ramirez will miss two or three days of work because of his injuries, Smith said.

The other truck stolen from Ingardia Brothers Produce has not been found.

It is a white 1995 Isuzu box truck, with a license tag of 5D19742, police said.