Troopers fired at an unarmed truck driver following a 100 mile chase that hit speeds of 100 miles per hour yesterday on I-40 in Arizona.
100 Mile Chase Leads From Arizona To California Back To Arizona
The pursuit began around 8:30 a.m. after police received reports about a truck driving erratically. The chase reportedly began near Kingman. Police say that the suspect truck driver headed west on I-40, entered California, then reentered Arizona, traveling back east towards Kingman. He reportedly reached speeds of around 100 m.p.h.
Shots Fired At Truck Driver During Foot Pursuit
The chase ended near Ash Fork when spike strips disabled the suspect’s truck. The driver ran away on foot. According to the Arizona Department of Public Safety, the suspect was not armed but pretended that his cell phone was a gun. Troopers fired four shots at the truck driver, but he wasn’t hit.
A police dog was released. It bit the suspect and he was taken into custody soon after. He was later transferred to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
DPS: Incident May Have Been Suicide Attempt
DPS stated that drugs were a factor in the chase. They also said that the incident may have been an attempt at “suicide by cop.”
No police or civilians were hurt.
I-40 near Ash Fork was shut down in both directions for about four hours because of the pursuit, causing a 14 mile backup.
I-40 still closed for shooting after pursuit. No serious injuries to suspect. No troopers or citizens injured. pic.twitter.com/vMa14QnXzh
— Damon Cecil, PIO (@dps_pio_cecil) May 15, 2016
Sources:
12 News
The Daily Courier
AZ Family