Officer uses Taser on driver in Green Valley

A 19-year-old man was tasered twice Wednesday by a Pima County Sheriff’s officer who was responding to a claim that the man was driving recklessly through a Green Valley apartment complex.

Witnesses say that Armando Edgardo Bravo was driving his Acura Coupe at upwards of 100 mph in the Via Alamos Apartment complex off of La Canada Drive and West Via Alamos, endangering children who were playing in the parking lot.

An officer responding to the call shot Bravo with a Taser gun from a 12-foot distance when the suspect continued running after the officer had told him to stop. The suspect fell and sustained minor injuries to his face, teeth and head, say Sheriff’s reports.

Bravo tried to run again, and was shot a second time with the Taser gun. A hostile crowd of the suspect’s friends and neighbors surrounded him and began yelling at the officer, who then called for backup.

Officers found an open container of alcohol in the suspect’s vehicle, and discovered that he had been driving with a suspended license.

The manager of the complex, who made the initial call to officers, said that Bravo had caused trouble at the Via Alamos Apartments many times before and that she was “sick and tired of it,” according to reports.

A family member said that Bravo had been taking several medications to treat his mental illness, say reports. The family member also told officers that Bravo had been arrested last week in Santa Cruz County for transporting a backpack full of marijuana, and that he probably ran because he was scared he would go to jail again.

Officers arrested the suspect for being a minor in possession of alcohol and for reckless driving.

Bravo’s injuries were treated by workers from the Green Valley Fire District, who later transported him to Carondelet St. Mary’s Hospital.

The passenger of the vehicle, 25-year-old Panfilo Lowe, was cited for disorderly conduct after he began punching the stucco wall surrounding the complex, following the incident. He said he punched the wall because he was angry and frustrated that his friend ran from the police.

jrichardson@gvnews.com