Published: 09.15.2009

Tucson police: Man arrested in early morning carjacking
By Alexis Huicochea
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
A 24-year-old man accused of carjacking a motorist at gunpoint and then leading police on a chase the wrong way down Interstate 10 has been arrested.
The incident began at 5:40 a.m. Tuesday when a man was carjacked at gunpoint near East Prince Road and North Los Altos Avenue, said Sgt. Fabian Pacheco, a Tucson Police Department spokesman.
The carjacker fled in the victim’s 2006 Dodge Charger, firing a shot into the air as he left, Pacheco said.
While officers were at the crime scene, an officer on patrol near North Stone Avenue and West Glenn Street spotted a vehicle matching the description of the stolen Charger. The patrol officer followed the Charger to West Grant and North Oracle Roads, and tried to stop the driver.
The driver sped up and headed west under the I-10 bridge, Pacheco said. He then made his way on to the southbound frontage road and began driving against traffic.
He used the Miracle Mile exit ramp to get on to the freeway and continued driving the wrong way until he got off at Prince road utilizing the on-ramp, Pacheco said.
The driver slowed down at which time the pursuing officer rammed the rear quarter panel of the Charger, causing the vehicle to spin out of control, Pacheco said.
The Charger was boxed in by other patrol cars and the driver was taken into custody. A gun was found in the Charger, Pacheco said.
No one was injured in the incident, Pacheco said.
The name of the driver was not immediately released. Pacheco said the man is a Mexican citizen in the country illegally. He is also a known gang member.Approximately 20 minutes prior to the carjacking call, police received a report of shots fired from the same area.
They are looking into whether this man was involved in that incident.
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