A member of the notorious Texas prison gang Tango Blast has been sentenced to a stiff 20-year stint behind bars for assaulting a Plano police officer, the office of District Attorney Greg Willis announced. Salvador Jove, 32, from Royse City, was handed down the maximum penalty for the second-degree felony of Assault on a Peace Officer after a jury trial.

The violent encounter took place outside the Plano Police Headquarters in the early morning hours of Independence Day last year. Officer Jeffrey Jarvi responded to a call about a disturbance and found Jove, who was without a shirt, harassing a woman by relentlessly pounding on her car window and refusing to budge. As the officer attempted to arrest Jove for public intoxication, the gang member resisted arrest and during the struggle, savagely kicked Jarvi in the chest.

According to the report released by the Collin County District Attorney’s office, the courtroom heard of Jove's prior prison sentences for home burglary charges, including one incident where he similarly assaulted a cop while being arrested. Plano Police Detective David Farrington also testified about Jove's affiliation with Tango Blast during the trial.

In a statement, as per Collin County District Attorney’s office, Willis expressed vindication on the harsh sentencing: "This prison gangster has a clear history of resisting and assaulting law enforcement during his arrests. Considering his criminal resume, this jury no doubt shared the same sentiments as my office in wanting to take this repeat offender out of our community for as long as possible." Assistant Criminal District Attorneys Charles Brazell and Ashleigh Woodall were credited with prosecuting the case, supported by District Attorney Investigator Ryan Harvey.