Salinas man found guilty of assault on peace officer, evading and filing false report

A Salinas man was found guilty of assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer, evading a peace officer and filing a false report of a vehicle theft.

It happened on August 21, 2017. A Salinas police officer tried to conduct a traffic stop on a car for not stopping at a stop sign. Arnulfo Bravo, 34, was driving and did not stop for the officer. Instead, he sped up.

Bravo ran multiple stop signs and red lights, reached speeds of 70 mph in residential neighborhoods and sped past a school bus that had red lights flashing. Eventually the chase became too dangerous and the officer stopped following him.

Another officer found Bravo shortly after that chase. He turned into an apartment complex that had a closed gate. The officer parked his car in the driveway and got out with his gun drawn. Instead of stopping, Bravo turned around and drove at the officer. He had to jump back in his car and close the door to avoid getting hit.

After the incident, Bravo tried to report his car stolen, but the officer he tried to hit recognized him when he went to take the report.

Bravo will be sentenced in May. He is facing a maximum of 5 years and 8 months in prison.