Human Smuggler arrested in theft of DPS vehicle
Human Smuggler arrested in theft of DPS vehicle
by William D'Urso - Oct. 26, 2010 06:12 PM
The Arizona Republic
.
A suspected human smuggler rammed an undercover Department of Public Safety vehicle, then beat up a uniformed officer before escaping in a marked DPS SUV, authorities said Tuesday.
DPS spokesperson Bart Graves said detectives in an unmarked DPS vehicle in Casa Grande spotted a Dodge pickup that they suspected was stolen and called for assistance.
The driver refused to pull over and slammed into the unmarked DPS car.
Authorities said the driver then got out of the truck, assaulted a uniformed officer, then got into his marked Chevy Tahoe DPS vehicle and drove westbound on Interstate 10 toward Phoenix.
There were a total of seven people in the truck. The driver and one other person fled on foot. The other five, all suspected illegal immigrants, were taken into custody.
Authorities found the vehicle abandoned about 30 miles south of Phoenix and arrested the suspect about 1 p.m.
The suspect who escaped on foot had not been located as of Tuesday afternoon.
Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/community/pina ... z13ZbM8Q00
