A traffic stop led to the arrest of a Brownsville couple with one of them facing a charge of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.
Brownsville police report Carlos Santana Garza and Joanna Lee Mireles were taken into custody on Wednesday, at West 3rd Street and West Fronton Street, Investigator Martin Sandoval, spokesman for the Brownsville Police Department, said.
The incident started at West 4th Street and West Charles Street.
Sandoval said officers noticed a vehicle violation on a black Jeep and attempted to conduct a traffic stop on it.
“Once the marked unit turned on its emergency lights to indicate a traffic stop the Jeep sped away. Once the Jeep came to a stop the driver was being uncooperative with the officer. The passenger of the vehicle exited the vehicle and fled on foot,” Sandoval said.
Although Garza resisted arrest as an officer tried to detain him, Sandoval said, when others arrived at the scene they were able to detain him.
Sandoval said several citizens who witnessed the traffic stop came forward and began arguing with the officers at the scene.
“As officers were focused on the attention of the crowd, one officer noticed a female (Joanna Mireles) approach the passenger side of the Jeep and removed a backpack from inside the vehicle,” Sandoval said.
The officer took the woman into custody and recovered a backpack which contained a firearm and narcotics, he said.
Garza and Mireles were transported to the city jail and were arraigned on Thursday.
Garza was charged with one count of possession of marijuana, one count of manufacturing/delivery of a controlled substance, one count of resisting arrest, one count of resisting transport, one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon and one count of evading arrest and detention. His bonds totaled $92,000.
Mireles was charged with one count of tampering with physical evidence. Her bond was set at $5,000.
