Man accused of pointing gun at officer

A man who allegedly pointed a firearm at a Yuma police officer made his initial appearance in Yuma Justice Court on Thursday afternoon.

Yuma Justice of the Peace Greg Stewart informed 30-year-old Marco Velasco that he was being held on charges of attempted second-degree murder, endangerment, disorderly conduct with a deadly weapon, two counts of aggravated assault upon an officer and being a prohibited possessor of a firearm, all of which are felonies.

Stewart also explained to Velasco that he would be returning to court at 1 p.m. Tuesday, when he would be told if prosecutors had filed a criminal complaint against him, charging him with any or all of the offenses.

Velasco's bond was set at $500,000. Stewart told Velasco that he would discuss with him at the next hearing whether he would hire his own attorney or have the court appoint one to represent him.

At approximately 1:31 a.m. Thursday, a Yuma police officer on patrol heard multiple gunshots in the area of the 2200 block of South Avenue A. When he went to investigate, the officer saw a disturbance involving four male subjects in the roadway, who all fled the area on foot when they saw the police car.

While the officer was in still in his vehicle, he followed one of the suspects, now identified as Velasco, who ran eastbound in the 1100 block of West 23rd Street. While the officer was following him, Velasco pointed a firearm at the officer.

Velasco tried to lose the officer by running into the Pop-A-Top Saloon, 2241 S. Avenue A. However, once inside bar, a bouncer took the gun away from him during a struggle. After being disarmed, Velasco ran out of the bar and continued fleeing.

He was caught a short time later at 2201 S. Avenue A and booked in the Yuma County Detention Center. No one was injured nor any damages reported.

The Yuma Police Department encourages anyone with information about this case to call 783-4421, or 78-CRIME to remain anonymous.