A San Francisco woman faces a felony assault charge after allegedly trying to hit a Burlingame police officer with her Chevrolet Camaro and then ramming his police cruiser several times. Tina Puccini-Perez, 52, is accused of backing her car towards the officer, nearly hitting him, after a short chase in Burlingame, said Chief Deputy District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe.
She eventually gave up peacefully, but not before pulling forward and backing her car into the officer's vehicle five times. Puccini-Perez pleaded not guilty to the charge in San Mateo County Superior Court. The officer wasn't hurt and authorities haven't said what sparked the confrontation.
The officer first spotted Puccini-Perez driving near Drake Avenue and Adeline Drive, where he had gone after several people reported a Camaro racing through the neighborhood, said Burlingame police Capt. Mike Matteucci. As the officer drove closer, the Camaro's driver sped away and blew through a stop sign in the process. The cop put on his lights and siren, but instead of stopping the car blasted through another stop sign. A short distance later the car attempted to make a left turn onto El Camino Real and spun out, said Matteucci.
As the officer approached the Camaro on foot with his gun drawn, Puccini-Perez looked at him and abruptly began backing up. The car narrowly missed hitting the officer and then slammed into his car five times. An officer who came to help reported that the tires of the Camaro, which were spinning at high speed as the car's engine revved, were producing so much smoke he could barely see the scene. Puccini-Perez was held at the San Mateo County jail in lieu of $50,000 bail.
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