BY: Joe Baeza

LPD Officers placed in a dangerous situation while serving an arrest warrant

            An Aggravated Assault warrant was being served today on Chuck Gutierrez Jr.05-17-90.  Gutierrez was wanted for the alleged stabbing of a 15 yr. old male by the Ladrillera Park on November 9, 2008.  The victim was transported to LMC and treated for his injuries.  Subsequently a police report was filed for the assault. An Aggravated Assault warrant was requested from the D. A.’s office and Judge H. Liendo issued the warrant with a bond of $50,000.  Upon serving the warrant today, Friday, December 05, 2008, at approximately 12:44 p.m. at the 2400 block of  Bruni Street, suspect Chuck Gutierrez pulled a realistic looking gun from under the bed covers at two detectives and one uniformed officer that went to his house to serve the felony warrant.

              The officers reacted instinctively, pinning the suspect’s gun-hand towards the floor and wrestled the gun away. The weapon turned out to be a BB gun replica of a real firearm. Nevertheless; this situation could have gone a thousand times worst if the officers had fired their service weapons to a perceived deadly force (a gun) which was drawn by the suspect to provoke the officers.  Gutierrez was served with the original warrant and additionally charged with Aggravated Assault F/1 (with a deadly weapon) upon a Peace Officer.  Gutierrez was transported to Laredo Police for booking and processing and was later remanded to the Webb County Jail with a bond set for $50,000 for the warrant and pending magistration for the second charge.  Police save lives everyday, including those persons who threaten theirs.