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Gun battle on county highway
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Xavier Zaragoza/The Daily Dispatch Juan Carlos Saucedo rammed into the white pickup U.S. Customs truck ending the chase at Hwy 191, milepost 11. |
By CAROL BROEDER/Arizona Range News
A 22-year-old Phoenix man faces attempted first-degree murder charges after shooting at law enforcement officers during a 68-mile high-speed chase last week that began near Willcox.
Juan Carlos Saucedo was charged with attempted first-degree murder, aggravated assault of a police officer, endangerment, motor vehicle theft, criminal damage and unlawful flight, said Carol Capas, spokeswoman for the Cochise County Sheriff's Department.
Bond was set at $500,000 for the Cochise County charges during an initial hearing at 6 p.m. on Friday.
Saucedo also has a warrant issued Jan. 25 out of Maricopa County for kidnapping, assault, two counts of aggravated assault, and misconduct with a weapon, Capas said.
An additional bond of $18,000 was set for these charges.
On Thursday, March 3, at about 8:05 a.m. the sheriff's department received a call regarding shots fired at an Arizona Department of Public Safety officer on Interstate 10, Capas said.
Sgt. Brian Preston, the on-scene commander for the DPS, said that Saucedo had pulled over onto the frontage road near milepost 344.
The DPS officer approached the car when Saucedo fired at the officer twice with a rifle and fled the scene in the car, he said.
Saucedo then drove back onto I-10, crossed the median, and then shot at the officer while traveling westbound, Preston said.
The officer radioed in and followed Saucedo on I-10.
Saucedo was the lone occupant in the gray 2001 Nissan sedan, which had been stolen from Phoenix on Feb. 21, Capas said.
Sheriff's deputies joined DPS officers in pursuit down Highway 191 south toward Douglas, while Saucedo began shooting out of the car toward the pursuing officers, Capas said.
A DPS sergeant, who was doing traffic control for the Arizona Department of Transportation near milepost 331, fired at Saucedo with a shotgun, said Preston.
There were seven shooting scenes during the 68-mile high-speed chase, he said.
Officers were staged at several locations on Highway 191, attempting to stop the car traveling in excess of 90 miles per hour, Capas said.
A sheriff's deputy fired at Saucedo at Kansas Settlement Road and Highway 191, and a deputy and two DPS officers, using a rifle and a shotgun, fired on him at 191 and Courtland at about milepost 29, Preston said.
There was also an attempted roadblock at that location, he said, with spikes in the roadway.
Over the scanner, an officer said, "No ramming. This guy's a shooter," and shortly afterwards an officer yelled for pursuing officers to "back off, I think he's gonna take a shot."
Preston said that either a sheriff's deputy or United States Border Patrol agent shot at Saucedo at Gleeson and 191, near milepost 25 at Elfrida. Over the scanner the officer said, "We were kind of close on that shot."
"One of our DPS lieutenants engaged him with a handgun at Davis and 191," he said.
The chase ended at about 9 a.m. at milepost 11 on Highway 191 when Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents stopped the car, Capas said.
"We knew it was going to end at milepost 11, one way or another," Preston said.
Saucedo hit the truck at about 80 or 90 miles per hour, then slid about 100 feet off the side of the road before stopping, he said.
The car had a lot of bullet holes in it.
"It didn't look exactly like Bonnie and Clyde's car," Preston said. "But it was close."
"There was no gunplay once he got out of the car," said Preston, adding that Saucedo was crouched down in the seat.
While Preston notes that he did not perform the medical examination, he observed about five wounds on Saucedo.
"He had lost a finger as if his hand had been on the wheel when it was shot. Some of the rounds did find him," Preston said.
No officers were injured in the incident.
Saucedo was flown by helicopter to University Medical Center in Tucson for treatment of the gunshot wounds, and was released to county custody on Friday.
Preston, a veteran of nine years with the department, said five DPS officers are currently on paid administrative leave since the incident, but he expects "they'll be back in a few days."
(Editor's Note: Ainslee Wittig and Sierra Vista Herald reporter Gentry Braswell contributed to this report.)
Juan Carlos Saucedo was charged with attempted first-degree murder, aggravated assault of a police officer, endangerment, motor vehicle theft, criminal damage and unlawful flight, said Carol Capas, spokeswoman for the Cochise County Sheriff's Department.
Bond was set at $500,000 for the Cochise County charges during an initial hearing at 6 p.m. on Friday.
Saucedo also has a warrant issued Jan. 25 out of Maricopa County for kidnapping, assault, two counts of aggravated assault, and misconduct with a weapon, Capas said.
An additional bond of $18,000 was set for these charges.
On Thursday, March 3, at about 8:05 a.m. the sheriff's department received a call regarding shots fired at an Arizona Department of Public Safety officer on Interstate 10, Capas said.
Sgt. Brian Preston, the on-scene commander for the DPS, said that Saucedo had pulled over onto the frontage road near milepost 344.
The DPS officer approached the car when Saucedo fired at the officer twice with a rifle and fled the scene in the car, he said.
Saucedo then drove back onto I-10, crossed the median, and then shot at the officer while traveling westbound, Preston said.
The officer radioed in and followed Saucedo on I-10.
Saucedo was the lone occupant in the gray 2001 Nissan sedan, which had been stolen from Phoenix on Feb. 21, Capas said.
Sheriff's deputies joined DPS officers in pursuit down Highway 191 south toward Douglas, while Saucedo began shooting out of the car toward the pursuing officers, Capas said.
A DPS sergeant, who was doing traffic control for the Arizona Department of Transportation near milepost 331, fired at Saucedo with a shotgun, said Preston.
There were seven shooting scenes during the 68-mile high-speed chase, he said.
Officers were staged at several locations on Highway 191, attempting to stop the car traveling in excess of 90 miles per hour, Capas said.
A sheriff's deputy fired at Saucedo at Kansas Settlement Road and Highway 191, and a deputy and two DPS officers, using a rifle and a shotgun, fired on him at 191 and Courtland at about milepost 29, Preston said.
There was also an attempted roadblock at that location, he said, with spikes in the roadway.
Over the scanner, an officer said, "No ramming. This guy's a shooter," and shortly afterwards an officer yelled for pursuing officers to "back off, I think he's gonna take a shot."
Preston said that either a sheriff's deputy or United States Border Patrol agent shot at Saucedo at Gleeson and 191, near milepost 25 at Elfrida. Over the scanner the officer said, "We were kind of close on that shot."
"One of our DPS lieutenants engaged him with a handgun at Davis and 191," he said.
The chase ended at about 9 a.m. at milepost 11 on Highway 191 when Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents stopped the car, Capas said.
"We knew it was going to end at milepost 11, one way or another," Preston said.
Saucedo hit the truck at about 80 or 90 miles per hour, then slid about 100 feet off the side of the road before stopping, he said.
The car had a lot of bullet holes in it.
"It didn't look exactly like Bonnie and Clyde's car," Preston said. "But it was close."
"There was no gunplay once he got out of the car," said Preston, adding that Saucedo was crouched down in the seat.
While Preston notes that he did not perform the medical examination, he observed about five wounds on Saucedo.
"He had lost a finger as if his hand had been on the wheel when it was shot. Some of the rounds did find him," Preston said.
No officers were injured in the incident.
Saucedo was flown by helicopter to University Medical Center in Tucson for treatment of the gunshot wounds, and was released to county custody on Friday.
Preston, a veteran of nine years with the department, said five DPS officers are currently on paid administrative leave since the incident, but he expects "they'll be back in a few days."
(Editor's Note: Ainslee Wittig and Sierra Vista Herald reporter Gentry Braswell contributed to this report.)
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