By Jon Johnson
WILLCOX – A man was listed as being in critical condition Thursday after shooting himself Wednesday night following a high-speed chase down I-10 and Highway 191.
According to reports from the Graham County Sheriff’s Office, the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office was in pursuit of a Mazda 6 that was northbound on U.S. Highway 191 when they called for assistance. Willcox Police and the Arizona Department of Public Safety were also involved in the pursuit, according to the reports.
The pursuit reportedly began in Willcox at about 7:30 p.m. when local police were dispatched to a domestic incident. Officers advised that the man involved in the dispute is a suspect in a current child sexual abuse case. The suspect’s name has not been released by authorities but he was referred to as “Angel” during the interaction.
The suspect reportedly fled from his residence but later returned and barricaded himself. He then reportedly rammed his way through a Cochise County Sheriff’s Office vehicle and fled east on I-10 and then north on U.S. Highway 191 at speeds in excess of 100 mph just before 9 p.m.
While stop sticks were planned to be placed at milepost 98, the Mazda turned around and went southbound on Highway 191 back to the freeway, where the chase then went westbound on I-10. Another spike strip attempt was partially successful and an Arizona Department of Public Safety Grappler brought the vehicle to a stop after it took Exit 344 to N. Haskell Ave. The Grappler is a netting system that can be deployed from a police vehicle’s front bumper to capture and lock the rear wheel of a suspect vehicle. During a pursuit, this technological device allows law enforcement to safely bring a suspect’s vehicle to a stop.
According to Graham County Sheriff’s Office reports, the subject put the pistol to his head and then back down several times as law enforcement with ballistic shields attempted to talk the suspect into peacefully surrendering. Several times the man attempted to get officers to shoot him to commit suicide by cop, but negotiators continued to work to a peaceful solution.
The talks were unsuccessful, however, and the suspect fired the pistol, causing a round to go through the back of his head and out the roof of the vehicle. The suspect was then medically treated and airlifted to a local hospital. He was listed as being in critical condition as of Thursday.
