Police Beat

By Joseph Altman Jr.

Arizona Daily Wildcat

A man was arrested Wednesday morning after he was reported to be intoxicated and yelling at people and ended up allegedly assaulting a police officer, all within a block of the University police station.

Manuel D. Gracia, 30, of the 300 block of North Silverbell Road, was taken to Pima County Jail and charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, aggravated assault on a police officer, failure to provide proof of identity, and pedestrian failing to yield to motor vehicles.

At 8:18 a.m., a University Grounds and Labor employee came to the police station, 1200 E. Lowell St., and reported an intoxicated male on the west side of the station was yelling and waving his arms.

The employee said the man, later identified as Gracia, told her she was "nothing but a 17-year-old slut."

An officer went outside and found Gracia walking southbound on North Santa Rita Avenue toward East Sixth Street, waving his arms and yelling "fucking sluts of math" at people who were walking by.

Gracia then walked into the roadway, causing all east and westbound traffic on Sixth Street to stop. When he got to the south curb, he turned around and ran into the road again, causing one eastbound vehicle to lock its tires to avoid hitting the man.

When an officer approached, Gracia went back into the street, forcing vehicles to drive around him. The officer grabbed Gracia and pulled him out of the street.

When Gracia was asked for his identification, Gracia said, "No, general, I'm leaving now," and started to walk westbound. The officer noted a strong odor of alcohol from Gracia's mouth and he spoke with slurred speech.

The officer told Gracia he would be arrested if he did not provide identification. When he was told he was under arrest, Gracia said, "No I'm not," and tried to get away. The officer grabbed Gracia's right wrist, but Gracia began to swing his upper body.

Gracia said, "You can't arrest me," and swung his left fist at the officer's torso. The officer ducked to avoid the blow, but had to let go of Gracia's arm to do so. Gracia then ran south across Sixth Street.

Other officers were advised and began looking for the man. He was found shortly after and was uncooperative, having to be forced into a police car.

At the jail, Gracia was reported to be uncooperative and argumentative with booking personnel. Additional deputies had to be summoned to the jail to handle him.

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A man was arrested Sunday morning after officers broke up a "large fight" at Jack in the Box, 934 E. Speedway Blvd.

Misha L. Zamora, 20, of the 5400 block of East Eastland, was charged with disorderly conduct.

At 1:34 a.m., an officer observed 50 to 75 individuals in the restaurant's parking lot, with people involved in three or four separate fights.

Officers attempted to break up the altercations, when they noticed another fight in the northwest corner of the parking lot. Officers yelled at the group to break it up when they noticed a male, identified as Zamora, start to run after another male.

An officer grabbed Zamora and ordered him to place his hands on a police vehicle. Zamora was spitting up blood, and paramedics were called to treat him.

Zamora was booked into Pima County Jail.

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Police recovered a stolen vehicle early Wednesday morning after a student reported observing the car "peeling out" in a parking lot.

A student said she saw the 1990 Nissan 200SX making sharp turns in lot 2022, south of Sigma Kappa sorority, 1125 N. Vine Ave. The driver then parked the car in the middle of Vine Avenue, in front of the sorority.

A witness asked the driver what he was doing, he said he hit a sign. The driver then left the area.

Police arrived and found no one was in the vehicle, the dashboard was torn apart with the stereo missing, and both tires on the driver's side were flat.

The owner was notified, but a Digitron AM/FM stereo cassette that did not belong to the vehicle was discovered in the back seat.

Officers went to the place where the vehicle was stolen from, Pi Beta Phi sorority at 1035 N. Mountain Ave., where they found another vehicle with its stereo missing.

Police attempted to contact the vehicle owner's daughter at Pi Beta Phi, but when other members of the sorority tried to wake her because her stereo had been stolen, she told them "she didn't care" and refused to get out of bed.

The stereo was placed into evidence.

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A student's $330 car CD player and $576 worth of CD's were stolen from his car parked at Corleone Apartments, 1330 N. Park Ave., Saturday.

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An employee reported the theft of her Pioneer CD player and parking access card from her vehicle while it was on the second level of the Park Garage Saturday.

The player and access card are valued at $725.

Police Beat is compiled from official University of Arizona Police Department reports.

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