Suspect accused of fighting with police, trying to disarm officer drove across Cascade Bridge prior to arrest

A Wever man was arrested last weekend after police say he drove a stolen car over the closed Cascade Bridge, fought with officers as they attempted to arrest him, and attempted to take an officer's gun during the scuffle.

Victor Manuel Gonzalez, 22, has been charged with disarming a police officer, assault on persons in certain occupations-bodily injury, interference with official acts-bodily injury, and second-degree theft.

At about 9:30 p.m. on June 4, Burlington police were called to the Cascade Bridge for a report that a white car had driven through the barricades on the bridge, heading south, according to an accident report from the Burlington Police Department.

When officers arrived, they found damage to the fences and barricades on both sides of the bridge. Officers then located the hood of the car in Crapo Park and found the vehicle, a 2016 Chevy Malibu, in the Sacred Heart Catholic Cemetery.

According to the accident report, Gonzalez was listed as the driver of the vehicle and the car had been reported as stolen.

That same night, at about 1:09 a.m. June 5, Burlington police officer Brennan Creelman spotted Gonzalez, who fit the description police were given of the person believed to have stolen the car, near the Circle K gas station on the 1000 block of Maple Street, and began talking with talking with Gonzalez, according to a criminal complaint.

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As they were talking, Gonzalez began to run away from Creelman through on alley next to the gas station, slipped as he was running, was tackled to the ground by Creelman and told to get on the ground, the complaint states.

But as Creelman was trying to detain Gonzalez, he managed to roll over on his back and punch Creelman on the left side his head, according to the complaint.

In response, Creelman used "compliance strikes to Gonzalez's head in an attempt to get Gonzalez to comply" to his commands, but the strikes were ineffective, the complaint states.

After Gonzalez was then able to get back on his feet, police said, Creelman drew his taser and told Gonzalez to get on the ground.

At this time, Burlington police officer Makaela Kreiss was arriving on the scene and Gonzalez once again attempted to run away before Creelman used his taser on Gonzalez, telling him to stay on the ground, the complaint states.

Creelman deployed his taser a second time after Gonzalez attempted to get up and later stated in his report that the taser deployments were effective but that Gonzalez continued to attempt to flee the scene each time the taser finished cycling.

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Creelman and Kreiss then grabbed Gonzalez by his arms, continued to order him to the ground, and attempted to handcuff him. But police said Gonzalez refused to comply and attempted to kick Creelman. When Creelman used his taser for a third and fourth time, it was ineffective, according to the complaint.

As Creelman and Kreiss continued to try detaining Gonzalez, police said, Gonzalez grabbed ahold of Kreiss' handgun and attempted to disarm her.

Police said Gonzalez was able to to remove one of the restraint mechanisms on Kreiss' holster and was pulling on the gun and trying to remove it from the holster.

Creelman then began striking Gonzalez in the chest in an attempt to get Gonzalez to let go of the gun, according to the complaint.

At this time, Burlington police officer Nathan Hoscheck arrived and deployed his taser on Gonzalez. The taser deployment was effective and officers were able to take Gonzalez into custody.

Creelman suffered minor cuts to his left hand as a result of Gonzalez resisting and had redness and swelling on the left side of his head as a result of being punched by Gonzalez, according to the complaint.

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Kreiss suffered a minor cut to her left hand and Burlington police Sgt. Josh Tripp, who also came to the scene and assisted in the arrest, suffered a minor cut to his right elbow, both injuries due to Gonzalez resisting arrest, the complaint states.

As of Friday, Gonzalez was being held at the Des Moines County jail on $5,000 cash-only bond. A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for 2 p.m. June 14. Court records show Gonzalez is has been appointed James L. Beres, assistant public defender with the Burlington office of the State Public Defender's Officer.

According to a criminal complaint, the Chevy Malibu was reported stolen out of Des Moines County at about 9:39 a.m. on June 4, was a rental car that belonged to Heart Management LLC Firm, and was returned to the person renting to car.

According to the accident report, the fencing and road-closed signs at the bridge sustained an estimated $1,500 in damage and the car sustained an estimated $20,000 in damage.

Aging bridge poses dangers to drivers and pedestrians

Built in the late 1800s, Cascade Bridge was closed to car and pedestrian traffic in 2019 due to deterioration and fears the bridge may eventually crumble.

But the June 4 incident is not the first time a car has driven over the bridge since it was closed off.

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In February 2020, a driver lost control of their vehicle after their brakes failed, causing the car to pass through the barriers on the bridge's south end and onto the structure.

And in December 2021, a Burlington man leading police on a high-speed pursuit drove across the bridge during the chase.

Currently, the only things keeping cars and people off the bridge are the fencing and road-closed signs.

In March, the Burlington City Council voted to install a series of sand-filled barrels, typically used on road construction projects, in front of the entrances of the bridge to prevent any more cars from illegally driving over it.

Councilman Matt Rinker was the lone vote against the sand barrels, arguing at the time the barrels could be considered an "attractive nuisance" and expressed concerns of children or others possibly injuring themselves while playing with the barrels or others using the barrels to climb over the bridge's fencing.

But the council approved the plan, ordering 40 of the barrels, with 20 to be placed on each side of the bridge, for a cost of $12,000.

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As of Friday, those barrels had still not been placed in front of the bridge's entrances.

Burlington City Manager Chad Bird told The Hawk Eye on that the city recently received the barrels, explaining that supply chain issues and shipping delays as the reasons the barrels have not yet been placed in front of the bridge.

Bird said the city's public works department is expected to place the barrels in front of the bridge sometime within the next week.

Brad Vidmar covers public safety and education for The Hawk Eye and can be reached via email at BVidmar@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on The Hawk Eye: Car theft suspect accused of fighting with police and reaching for gun