An early Tuesday morning excursion between a man and his ex-girlfriend who needed to vent and wanted to get tacos turned dangerous when the man decided to point a loaded AK-47 at an off-duty uniformed McAllen police officer, authorities say.
The incident unfolded just after 2 a.m. that day when the officer called 9-1-1 to report that the man — later identified as 18-year-old McAllen resident Julio Treviño Jr. — pointed the weapon at him while stopped at a traffic light.
The officer wrote in an affidavit that he had just punched out of work and was driving his personal vehicle when a black Dodge Charger passed him at a high rate of speed in the 5400 block of N. Bicentennial.
The vehicle then stopped at a red light and when the officer pulled up to the intersection he made eye contact with Treviño.
“I could see the male driver was mouthing off to me due to his lips moving and staring in my direction,” the officer wrote in the affidavit.
That’s when police say Treviño reached into his back seat and pulled out a black backpack.
“The male driver then pulled out an AK-47 from the black pack at which time the female passenger drops the passenger seat and the male subject placed the said weapon on … his lap, pointing in my direction,” the affidavit states.
The light changed and police say Treviño took off at a high rate of speed and a chase ensued.
Responding officers headed to the 9200 block of N. 23rd St. where Treviño was last seen heading northbound.
Police eventually found him in the 2300 block of Brazos Ave. where Treviño made a U-turn and came face-to-face with an officer, who activated their unit’s lights.
“Mr. Treviño saw my overhead lights, passed by my left side and sped up as he intentionally attempted to evade lawful detention,” the affidavit states.
Authorities say he took off at a high rate of speed again before crashing into a light pole and a wall in the 8400 block of N. 23rd St. where the Charger landed on its right side.
After the crash, Treviño exited the wrecked vehicle with his hands in the air, surrendered and was arrested.
The woman, however, was still in the vehicle and wasn’t immediately able to exit because of downed power lines around the vehicle, according to the affidavit.
An officer was able to break the vehicle’s back window so she could crawl to safety.
“Upon searching the vehicle an AK-47 was found with a barrel under 9 inches with a bullet in the chamber,” the affidavit states.
Police also found a magazine with 14 rounds in it and four other empty magazines.
Treviño is charged with aggravated assault against a public servant, prohibited weapon and evading arrest detention with a vehicle.
He remains jailed on $150,000 in bonds, records show.
