Boatcop
05-26-2005, 03:17 PM
azcentral.com
May. 26, 2005 09:20 AM
Authorities on early Thursday shot dead a man who allegedly ran through a checkpoint at Hoover Dam, firing at officers, then later commandeered a highway patrol cruiser and carjacked two other vehicles in Kingman.
Officials say that the man, boxed in after police maneuvers disabled his vehicle, came out of the car with a shotgun and was met with gunfire from a state trooper and possibly a sheriff's deputy. A Taser stun gun was also used because the suspect still resisted arrest after being shot, a state Department of Public Safety spokesman said.
The suspect died later from his gunshot wound at a Kingman hospital. A woman inside his vehicle, whom he used as a hostage to commandeer the DPS cruiser, complained of breathing problems and was taken to a hospital.
DPS say they believe she is a companion of the slain suspect and are investigating her role in the long-running incident. Identities were not immediately available Thursday morning.
The DPS spokesman, Officer Frank Valenzuela, said the incident began around 11:15 p.m. Wednesday when the department received a call from officers at the Hoover Dam checkpoint about a vehicle that "blew through" without stopping. Someone inside the vehicle shot at the officers, Valenzuela said.
DPS and the Mohave County Sheriff's Office dispatched officers, who tracked down the vehicle on southbound State Route 93, about 7 miles south of the state line. At the Arizona Port of Entry west of Kingman, Valenzuela says, the suspect got out of his vehicle, holding a female at gunpoint.
Valenzuela said the man then commandeered a Highway Patrol vehicle and sped off with the woman.
Valenzuela said the man stole two vehicles in Kingman before a high-speed chase on Interstate 40 and then back on state Route 93 ended through the use of tire spikes.
The DPS officer said that's when the gunbattle occurred and the suspect was mortally wounded.
More than 30 officers and detectives from several law-enforcement agencies were working the four crime scenes.
State Route 93 in the area has since reopened but is restricted to one lane, alternating between southbound and northbound traffic.
May. 26, 2005 09:20 AM
Authorities on early Thursday shot dead a man who allegedly ran through a checkpoint at Hoover Dam, firing at officers, then later commandeered a highway patrol cruiser and carjacked two other vehicles in Kingman.
Officials say that the man, boxed in after police maneuvers disabled his vehicle, came out of the car with a shotgun and was met with gunfire from a state trooper and possibly a sheriff's deputy. A Taser stun gun was also used because the suspect still resisted arrest after being shot, a state Department of Public Safety spokesman said.
The suspect died later from his gunshot wound at a Kingman hospital. A woman inside his vehicle, whom he used as a hostage to commandeer the DPS cruiser, complained of breathing problems and was taken to a hospital.
DPS say they believe she is a companion of the slain suspect and are investigating her role in the long-running incident. Identities were not immediately available Thursday morning.
The DPS spokesman, Officer Frank Valenzuela, said the incident began around 11:15 p.m. Wednesday when the department received a call from officers at the Hoover Dam checkpoint about a vehicle that "blew through" without stopping. Someone inside the vehicle shot at the officers, Valenzuela said.
DPS and the Mohave County Sheriff's Office dispatched officers, who tracked down the vehicle on southbound State Route 93, about 7 miles south of the state line. At the Arizona Port of Entry west of Kingman, Valenzuela says, the suspect got out of his vehicle, holding a female at gunpoint.
Valenzuela said the man then commandeered a Highway Patrol vehicle and sped off with the woman.
Valenzuela said the man stole two vehicles in Kingman before a high-speed chase on Interstate 40 and then back on state Route 93 ended through the use of tire spikes.
The DPS officer said that's when the gunbattle occurred and the suspect was mortally wounded.
More than 30 officers and detectives from several law-enforcement agencies were working the four crime scenes.
State Route 93 in the area has since reopened but is restricted to one lane, alternating between southbound and northbound traffic.