By Jon Johnson/Gila Herald
jonjohnsonnews@gmail.com
SAFFORD — A 17-year-old male was turned over to Juvenile Probation on Sunday, Sept. 13, after allegedly firing a handgun at another vehicle during a high-speed road rage pursuit through Safford and Thatcher.
The juvenile faces charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, endangerment, misconduct with a weapon under 21, and disorderly conduct with a weapon. Authorities are withholding his name because of his age.
According to a Safford Police Department report, the incident began late Sunday night, Sept. 13, around 10:36 p.m., when officers responded to a report of shots fired near 20th Avenue and Golf Course Road.
The victim reported driving a black sedan when a white Chevrolet Malibu began following him closely and engaging in road rage behavior. The victim told police that after the vehicles made contact and scraped along 20th Avenue, someone inside the Malibu fired multiple gunshots at his vehicle before turning west onto Golf Course Road.
Dispatch officers reviewed local surveillance camera networks, including the Flock system, located the white Chevy Malibu, and identified its license plate, which led them to an initial address on East Cervantez Lane and then to a parking lot near 4th Street.
When officers converged on the area, they located a Dodge Charger and a GMC Yukon containing several individuals, including a female who admitted to driving the Malibu during the initial dispute. She told police that subjects in another vehicle had thrown an object at her head while parked near a local store, prompting her boyfriend and passengers to pursue the car.
Officers located the white Chevy Malibu parked near 18th Street and 14th Avenue, where three shell casings were visible inside the vehicle.
During an interview at the Safford Police Department, the 17-year-old suspect admitted to taking over the pursuit and firing a handgun out of the window as the two vehicles collided along 20th Avenue. He stated he fired three rounds from a 9mm pistol toward the lower rear of the victim’s vehicle to “protect” his girlfriend and end the altercation.
The suspect initially gave conflicting statements regarding the location of the firearm.
Multiple vehicles involved in the incident—including the white Chevy Malibu, Dodge Charger, and GMC Yukon—were towed to the Safford Police Department evidence yard pending search warrants.
The juvenile suspect was subsequently transported and remanded to the custody of Graham County Juvenile Probation and was booked into the Graham County Adult Detention Facility.
