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Two suspects in Phoenix highway shootings detained for questioning Phoenix highway shootings: one man detained for questioning
(about 4 hours later)
Authorities detained two people for questioning on Friday in a series of freeway shootings that have rattled Phoenix over the past two weeks. Police swarmed a convenience store near Interstate 10, detained a man and seized his white Chevrolet Tahoe on Friday, raising hopes of a resolution to the freeway shootings rattling Phoenix.
Police were at a convenience store near Interstate 10, focusing on a white SUV. Arizona department of public safety spokesman Bart Graves confirmed the people were being questioned but gave no more details. A man and woman were taken into custody for questioning, but Arizona Department of Public Safety spokesman Bart Graves said only the man is currently of interest to investigators.
Eleven cars have been shot since 29 August, eight with bullets and three with projectiles that could have been BBs or pellets. One girl’s face was cut by glass as a bullet shattered her window. The man has not been arrested, but his questioning could continue for hours, and the SUV is being examined for any evidence that might connect it to 11 confirmed shootings on the city’s freeways in the last two weeks, Graves said.
Related: Mysterious Phoenix highway shootings put drivers and police on high alertRelated: Mysterious Phoenix highway shootings put drivers and police on high alert
The search for suspects has grown more intense with each shooting, as a panicked public avoided the freeways and flooded a police hotline with tips. Witnesses said law enforcement officers seemed to be waiting for the man to appear and moved in quickly, surrounding his SUV with unmarked vehicles.
Authorities appealed for help through social media, news conferences, TV interviews and freeway billboards, whose messages morphed from “report suspicious activity” to “shooting tips” to the more ominous “I-10 shooter tip line”. The man, who has not been identified, complained that officers had been aggressive with him, aggravating his back injury. Speaking briefly to Fox 10 in Phoenix from the back of a squad car after being apprehended, he said officers surrounded him and his mother, guns drawn, after he bought a pack of cigarettes and a drink.
Many of the thousands of tips proved to be false leads based on road hazards routine in Arizona, like windshields cracked by loose rocks sent airborne by the tires of other vehicles. Josie Duarte had thought something was odd when she arrived for work at a nearby dental clinic earlier Friday and noticed 10 unmarked cars along with a marked squad truck parked behind her office. She only realized what was up when she saw the same cars swarm the parking lot of the Chevron station and convenience store.
On Thursday alone, drivers reported possible shootings of an armored truck, two cars and two tractor-trailers. Authorities and TV crews scrambled to these scenes, only to discover minor damage. Marco Mansilla watched it unfold while getting coffee at an adjacent McDonald’s. The lot was suddenly teeming with law enforcement, and when he tried to leave, an officer told him to “go back in the store. It’s not safe.”
The shootings haven’t fit any obvious pattern. Most happened on Interstate 10, a main route through Phoenix. Bullets have been fired at various times of the day, striking a seemingly random assortment of vehicles, from an empty bus to tractor-trailers to pickup trucks, cars and SUVs. Mansilla said he asked an officer, “What happened? Is that the sniper guy?” He said the officer declined to answer, saying only “enjoy your breakfast.”
Helicopters have been flying up and down Interstate 10 as officers scan a wall of TV monitors carrying live surveillance video from every freeway in the metropolitan area. The FBI and US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives have joined the hunt. On his way back to his window-tinting business across the street, Mansilla said he saw the man sitting inside a police car while four officers watched over the woman, who was in handcuffs.
“We have a number of officers ... both uniformed, non-uniformed, plainclothes, undercover vehicles, marked vehicles on the road patrolling, looking for the suspect, looking for leads,” Graves said on Thursday. “She was in shock,” Mansilla said.
Store clerk Sara Kaur said she was the one who sold the man some cigarettes, at about 9:15 a.m., moments before between 15 to 20 cars swarmed in and officers handcuffed him. She described him as being about 30 years old and a regular customer, and said she’s “never had a problem with him.”
Graves said officers investigating the shootings will remain on patrol and his agency will keep posting freeway billboard messages urging the public to come forward with any tips.
“This is an ongoing investigation,” he said Friday.
Phoenix drivers have been unnerved since the shootings began on Aug. 29, mostly along Interstate 10, a major route through the city. Many avoided freeways since then. Eight of the cars were hit with bullets and three with projectiles that could have been BBs or pellets. One girl’s ear was cut by glass as a bullet shattered her window.
Authorities appealed for help through social media, news conferences, TV interviews and freeway billboards, whose messages morphed from “report suspicious activity” to “shooting tips” to the more ominous “I-10 shooter tip line.”
Many of the thousands of tips proved to be false leads. In Arizona, windshields are frequently cracked by loose rocks sent airborne by the tires of other vehicles.
The shootings haven’t fit any obvious pattern. Bullets have been fired at various times of the day, striking a seemingly random assortment of vehicles, from an empty bus to tractor-trailers to pickup trucks, cars and SUVs.
Longtime residents still remember the random shootings that terrorized Phoenix a decade ago. Nearly 30 people were shot then, and eight killed, including a cyclist who was riding down the street and a man who was sleeping at a bus stop. Two men were eventually caught and convicted.Longtime residents still remember the random shootings that terrorized Phoenix a decade ago. Nearly 30 people were shot then, and eight killed, including a cyclist who was riding down the street and a man who was sleeping at a bus stop. Two men were eventually caught and convicted.