INDEPENDENT NEWSMEDIA
Two Mesa police officers were involved in a shooting Thursday night after a man struck their patrol vehicle with his car in the 500 block of East Franklin Avenue.
At about 11 p.m. on Thanksgiving, two officers attempted to stop a 2016 Chrysler 300 for a “civil traffic offense” at Hobson and Broadway. The driver drove away, officials said, and the officers lost sight of the car but remained in the area.
While driving on Franklin Avenue, the officers’ vehicle was struck by the suspect’s car as he made a right-hand turn from south Pioneer to east Franklin Avenue.
“The suspect continued in a southwest direction and collided with an occupied parked vehicle. Both officers were able to get out of their patrol car and as the suspect vehicle started to reverse, both officers fired their duty weapons at the suspect,” police said in a release.
The suspect, Joaquin Santiago Orozco, 23, drove off westbound on Franklin Avenue, according to police.
Officers in the area found the Chrysler unoccupied at 700 S. Mesa Drive after it collided with an unoccupied parked vehicle, police said.
At Center Street and 8th Avenue, “an officer-initiated contact on an already-stopped vehicle. A shirtless man, with a cut on his face, was sitting on the lap of the front-seat passenger.
“When the officer began speaking to the occupants, the man got out of the vehicle and ran from the officer. The officer pursued the man on foot and took him into custody without further issue,” the release stated.
One of the officers suffered a head injury because of the collision and was taken to a hospital for treatment. He has been released from the hospital.
The woman in the parked vehicle had no injuries, police said.
The suspect had no serious injuries and was not struck by gunfire, police said.
He has been booked into jail on several charges, including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated DUI, unlawful flight from law enforcement and reckless driving.