On July 6, 2002, a witness reported seeing a man in a
blue Ford Crown Victoria point a gun at a man and a boy walking
on Stone Avenue. The vehicle and suspect had previously been
under surveillance by police officers due to suspected drug
involvement.
The vehicle was located at a residence near Ray Road and South
Street. Officers surrounded the residence, and the suspect attempted
to flee via the rear door, where he was subdued by an officer.
In his possession was 46 grams of methamphetamine, an illegal
dangerous drug, a large sum of cash, and a fully-loaded 9 mm pistol.
The suspect, a Mexican national, was booked into the pinal county
jail on numerous felony charges.
The suspect's vehicle was seized by police and a search warrant
obtained. A search of the vehicle revealed another 45.5 grams of
methamphetamine in a hidden compartment.
The cash, pistol, and 1994 Ford sedan were seized by the police
and are being forfeited to the department under RICO statutes. The
suspect, a known drug courier from Sinaloa, Mexico, is facing trial
on the felony charges and possible prison time.
At about 2:00 A.M., Officers spotted a Chevrolet Monte Carlo, with no
license plate, driving westbound on Main Street at double
the speed limit. When officers tried to stop the Chevy, it
attempted to elude the officers by running a stop sign at high
speed and accelerating to speeds up to 85 mph. The chase ended
when the Monte Carlo attempted to turn onto Airport Road at too
high of a speed and the driver lost control and slammed into a
fence. One police car then drove into the driver's door to
prevent him from exiting the car and running, and the other
officer positioned his car on the passenger side to effect a
"High Risk Stop".
One passenger immediately submitted, but the driver refused to
submit to arrest and restarted the engine, reaching for the gear
shift. A struggle ensued in which an officer, fearing for the
safety of arriving officers stationed behind the Monte Carlo,
had to pull the driver from the car through the driver's side
window. After a brief struggle on the ground, the driver was
handcuffed. One of the three passengers refused to submit or to
obey officers' commands to cease interfering, and was also
arrested. Open containers of beer were found in the car.
Booked into the Pinal County Jail were Raymond Hernandez, the driver
of the Monte Carlo, and Luis "Tadpole" Villalobos, a passenger. Officers
Rozzi and Siemen initiated the pursuit.