Staff Reports
GRAHAM COUNTY — A dramatic nighttime pursuit through rural Graham County roads on Saturday left a local police officer’s vehicle damaged and a suspected speeder on the run, according to a police report by the Graham County Sheriff’s Office. Authorities are now seeking Jaden Campillo, 20, who has a history of prior encounters with law enforcement, on charges including felony flight and criminal damage.
The incident unfolded around 11:27 p.m. on Nov. 1, when a Graham County Sheriff’s Office deputy spotted a black and grey Polaris Razor — an off-road utility vehicle — barreling westbound on Cactus Road near Highway 191 at what was described as a “very high rate of speed.” The single male driver, later identified as Campillo through prior service calls, was wearing a backwards black hat and a blue shirt.
As the officer activated emergency lights and siren to initiate a traffic stop at the intersection of Cactus Road and Lebanon Loop Road, Campillo briefly pulled over to the dirt shoulder before accelerating away, tires spinning, according to the police report, He executed a sharp U-turn and sped eastbound on Cactus Road, then north on Lebanon Loop Road, pulling ahead of the pursuing patrol car despite the officer reaching speeds of about 90 mph.
The chase wove through a series of rural backroads, with Campillo navigating north on Lebanon Loop to Lebanon Road, then onto Wagon Wheel Road, 14th Avenue, west on 45th Street, and south on 20th Avenue. It culminated on the dead-end 50th Street, where the officer attempted to box in the Razor using the patrol vehicle. Campillo repeatedly reversed course to evade the blockade, making direct eye contact with the officer.
In a tense maneuver, Campillo gunned the vehicle forward, barely squeezing past the patrol car. The Razor’s rear driver’s side tire allegedly clipped the front bumper of the police SUV, causing cosmetic damage, body dents, and black paint transfer. “Jaden looked at my patrol vehicle multiple times and at one point even made eye contact with me,” the deputy noted in his report.
Campillo fled the scene north on 20th Avenue, east on 47th Street, and north again on 14th Avenue before vanishing eastbound on 45th Street toward 12th Avenue and Challa Drive. The officer terminated the pursuit due to the increasing distance and safety concerns.
Backup units searched known addresses for Campillo, including a lot at Graham Shadows RV Park and a residence in Thatcher, but neither the suspect nor the vehicle was located. An attempt-to-locate alert was issued for Campillo’s arrest, and the Polaris Razor — equipped with distinctive rear whip flags featuring black skull decals and LED light strips — was entered into the regional Flock license plate recognition camera system.
Flock cameras captured the vehicle traveling southbound on Highway 191 from Armory Road at 11:21 p.m., just minutes before the chase began, aligning with the timeline of events. GPS mapping estimated a five-minute travel time from that point to the initial sighting on Cactus Road.
The following afternoon, on Nov. 2, the investigating officer traced the vehicle’s registration to a residence in the 600 block of W. Ohy Ranch Road in Safford. Upon arrival, the officer observed an identical black and grey Polaris Razor parked on the property.
The registered owner initially denied lending out the vehicle, claiming it had remained at his residence all night. Confronted with Flock camera evidence showing it in town during the chase, he admitted leaving keys in all his vehicles, making them accessible to family and friends. He insisted the Razor’s damaged rear driver’s side tire — which matched the impact site on the patrol car — resulted from hitting a rock at Blue Ponds around 6 p.m. the previous evening, not from the collision.
The registered owner acknowledged knowing Campillo, whose full name he gave as Jaden Gomez Campillo, but said he would never allow him to drive the vehicle because Campillo lacked a license. He also explained removing the whip flags to rinse the Razor and showed the officer two matching flags from inside his home. A home security camera overlooking the vehicle was reportedly out of battery and yielded no footage.
With the registered owner’s consent, the officer seized the blown tire as evidence. Placed next to the damaged patrol bumper, the tire’s sidewall puncture and rim scrape aligned precisely with the officer’s vehicle injuries in height and impact pattern. The tire was logged into the Graham County Highway Department evidence yard for further analysis.
The registered owner maintained his account, telling the officer, “He really hit a rock, and the blowout wasn’t from when Jaden hit my patrol vehicle.” The officer noted Jiminez’s consistency but urged honesty, emphasizing that lending the vehicle wouldn’t make him liable.
As of Thursday, Nov. 6, Campillo’s whereabouts remain unknown. The Graham County Attorney’s Office issued a warrant on Nov. 4 for Campillo’s arrest, with a bond set at $50,000. Charges include unlawful flight from a pursuing law enforcement vehicle and criminal damage. Authorities urge anyone with information on Campillo or the Polaris Razor to contact the Graham County Sheriff’s Office at (928) 428-3141.
