Man arrested for throwing rocks at officers formally charged

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - The man arrested for throwing rocks at Yuma police officers and trespassing appeared in court on Thursday and was formally charged.

39-year-old Miguel Soqui faces three felonies and one misdemeanor.

The Yuma Police Department (YPD) said officers responded to a report about a man looking into vehicles Monday morning in the area of 1st Street and 3rd Avenue.

Yuma police said the man was last seen heading northbound towards the 4th Avenue Bridge

And then the man was seen entering the fenced area under the bridge with a sign saying, "State Property No Trespassing."

YPD said the man ran from Yuma police officers while throwing rocks that ranged from golf ball size to football size at the officers, where two were hit.

Both officers got minor injuries.

YPD said Taser Energy Weapon deployments were made on the man and he jumped into the 400 block of the West Main Canal.

A Deputy from the Yuma County Sheriff's Office deployed two less-than-lethal projectiles which struck the man and led him to swim away, said YPD.

Yuma police said the man crossed to the south side of the canal where he stayed for some time and eventually climbed out.

He was then taken into custody.

YPD said the man was taken to Yuma Regional Medical Center, was medically cleared, and booked for several counts of Aggravated Assault and other charges.

YPD thanks the Yuma County Sheriff's Office, Yuma Fire Department, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection for helping with the incident.

If you or anyone has information about this case, call YPD at (928) 373-4700 or 78-Crime at (928) 782-7463 to remain anonymous.