Armed semi truck thief shot by Arizona troopers in I-10 standoff
An armed suspect who reportedly beat a sleeping truck driver and stole his rig at gunpoint has been fatally shot by law enforcement following a standoff that shut down 24 miles of westbound I-10 in Arizona.
One Suspect Dead, One Arrested, Following Two Police Shootouts
LATEST: Suspect dead, fires at @Arizona_DPS trooper during traffic stop https://t.co/SIuSrjyYV2 #abc15 pic.twitter.com/rG8DiDFOzW
— ABC15 Arizona (@abc15) September 13, 2017
The incident began around 1 a.m. when an officers with the Arizona Department of Public Safety pulled over a Ford Mustang with suspended license plates on westbound I-10 at mile marker 57. A passenger inside the Mustang opened fire on the officer with a semi-automatic weapon. The trooper, who wasn’t injured by the gunshots, returned fire.
The Mustang driver stayed on the scene and was taken into police custody.
The passenger who had opened fire on police fled in the Mustang, abandoning the vehicle along I-10 at mile marker 11.
Sleeping Trucker Beaten By Armed Thief
The suspect then broke into a semi truck at a rest stop while the driver was sleeping inside. The suspect assaulted the sleeping truck driver and then stole the semi at gunpoint.
After stealing the semi, the suspect continued driving on I-10.
Police eventually caught up with the suspect at mile marker 17 in the town of Quartzite. A second standoff took place. Officers from Border Patrol, the La Paz County Sheriff’s Office, and the Arizona Department of Public Safety were involved in the altercation with the suspect.
(2/2) Pursued by DPS, CBP, La Paz SO, dumps car, takes a big rig by force at mi post 11, returns to Quartzsite, ofcs engage, killing him. pic.twitter.com/s6IVuH6Sza
— Mike Robison (@mrobisonfox10) September 13, 2017
Officers opened fire at the suspect during the standoff. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The truck driver suffered minor injuries during the incident. No other injuries were reported.
DPS trooper involved in a shooting 2 suspects taken into custody, incident ends in Quartzsite #azfamily pic.twitter.com/iqgIOktJId
— Gibby Parra (@GibbyParra) September 13, 2017
The incident forced the closure of 24 miles of westbound I-10. Transportation officials reopened the interstate around 8 a.m.
The identity of the deceased suspect has not yet been released. Police have described the man as a “career criminal.”
It isn’t clear what charges that the suspect who was taken into custody could face.