Ephrata man charged in alleged gun incident

EPHRATA — A Ephrata man allegedly pointed a gun at a man in Quincy over the weekend.

Grant County prosecutors charged Jose Ruiz Ramirez, 21, of Ephrata, with second-degree assault and harassment.

On Sunday the Quincy Police Department received a report of a weapons offense in the 900 block of Central Avenue. A man told police he had parked on the street to pick up his girlfriend after she got off work and a man she knows, alleged to be Ruiz Ramirez, drove up behind him and tried to ram his car. He said he had to turn his steering wheel to get out of the way from Ruiz Ramirez and the suspect drove off, according to police records. A security camera at the location was reportedly not working and did not capture the alleged incident.

The victim said he followed Ruiz Ramirez. They stopped in front of the fire department on Central Avenue and both got out of their cars. The victim asked Ruiz Ramirez what his problem was and Ruiz Ramirez allegedly pulled a small black gun out of his pocket and pointed it at the man’s face and said, “what are you going to do?” The victim described the gun as either a semi-automatic or a revolver.

The victim initially told police he knew Ruiz Ramirez wasn’t going to shoot him, but later said he was scared Ruiz Ramirez was going to shoot him. He advised Sunday night’s incident was not his first encounter with Ruiz Ramirez and went on to tell officers how about a month ago he showed up at his girlfriend’s Ephrata residence and found Ruiz Ramirez there.

Ruiz Ramirez was told by the victim to leave, which he did, but not before threatening to come back later with “several guys.” Ruiz Ramirez came back about an hour later with two other men, but the victim did not tell police what happened after they showed up. The victim’s girlfriend told police she only knew Ruiz Ramirez from work and did not know him outside of work. She was able to provide his cellphone number and said he resides in Ephrata.

Later in the night the Ephrata Police Department responded to the 20 block of Junes Court, as Ruiz Ramirez had been spotted in the area. A EPD officer reportedly found Ruiz Ramirez in a vehicle, which matched the description of the vehicle he was alleged to be driving during the incident in Quincy. The QPD requested Ruiz Ramirez be taken into custody. The EPD did not find a gun on Ruiz Ramirez when he was initially searched. However, a EPD officer reportedly spotted the barrel of a handgun under the driver’s seat in the car when he opened the driver’s door to remove the keys from the ignition, according to police records.

Richard Byrd can be reached via email at city@columbiabasinherald.com.