The wife of a Gwinnett County minister has been convicted of taking a Lilburn police officer’s Taser and pointing it at him, the Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office said.
Cristina Cruz, 38, was convicted of removing a weapon from a public official, aggravated assault on a peace officer, attempted removal of a weapon from a public official and willful obstruction of law enforcement officer after a four-day trial. A jury acquitted her of one charge of felony obstruction.
READ | Gwinnett minister, son plead guilty in brawl with police
Cruz, her husband and two of her sons got into a physical fight with Lilburn police officers on March 25, 2018. The officers had come to the parking lot of the church where Cruz’s husband Wilmer Cruz Sr. was a minister in search of a teenage girl who had been reported missing. The girl was dating one of the Cruz sons, according to police, and she was found in a car parked at the church.
When officers attempted to get the girl out of the car, Cristina Cruz, Wilmer Cruz Sr. and their sons got between the officers and the car. A physical fight broke out; one officer threatened the family with a baton and tried to push them away, and Wilmer Cruz Sr. and their younger son rushed towards both officers, the DA’s office said. The younger son tried to grab the officer’s baton, and Wilmer Cruz Sr. “put a bear hug around [one officer] and lifted him off the ground.” Cristina Cruz also tried to take the baton, the DA’s office said.
As an officer attempted to use his Taser on Wilmer Cruz Sr., Cruz grabbed the Taser and pointed it at the officer. She dropped it after the officer drew his gun and told her to let it go, the DA’s office said.
As the fight continued, one officer had his head slammed against a church door and was choked by Wilmer Cruz Sr., the DA’s office said. A third officer arrived and eventually all four family members were arrested.
Wilmer Cruz Sr. and Wilmer Cruz Jr., the couple’s adult son, pleaded guilty in this case in June, but Cristina Cruz chose to face trial. The younger son is a juvenile and information on his case was not immediately available.
Cristina Cruz will be sentenced in September.
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