BROWNSVILLE, Texas (ValleyCentral) — After a month, authorities remain on the lookout for a man they say threw his SUV into reverse and rammed into a parked police motorcyle during a traffic stop in September in Brownsville.
Michael Osvaldo Pena, 20, is wanted for a criminal mischief and evading arrest in connection to the traffic stop Sept. 8 at the 600 block of Central Boulevard, according to Investigator Martin Sandoval, the public information officer for the Brownsville Police Department.
“One of our motorcycle officers noticed him traveling at a high rate of speed,” Sandoval said.
Pena was driving a Buick Rendezvous when the motorcycle officer pulled him over at Los Trevis on Central Boulevard. When the officer asked for a driver’s license and proof of insurance, Pena put the Buick in reverse, Sandoval said.
“He revved the engine, went in reverse, struck the motorcycle and took off,” Sandoval said. “He didn’t hit the officers. Luckily, the officer was already off the motorcycle making contact with him.”
The damage to the motorcycle was “nearly about $1,000 of damage,” Sandoval told ValleyCentral on Monday. The officer was unable to pursue Pena, the spokesman said, because of the damage to the motorcycle.
By the time other officers arrived, Pena’s vehicle was not to be found, Sandoval said. Therefore, detectives examined the officer’s body camera footage.
“One of our detectives recognized the individual and that’s how we managed to get his name,” Sandoval said.
According to police, Pena has a record of a Class C assault in 2019 and has been identified as a person of interest in other cases underway in the police department.
“He is a person of interest in several other cases,” Sandoval said. “He’s got a warrant [of arrest] for the motorcycle, so when we catch up to him and arrest him the detectives will talk to him about all these other cases.”
The Brownsville Police Department has at least five motorcycle patrol units, Sandoval told ValleyCentral. The damaged unit is already repaired and back in use by the police.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Pena is asked to call (956)546-8477. The information you provide could earn you a cash reward, police said. Calls remain anonymous.
