Suspect who shot at deputies, forced Bearizona lockdown arrested
Mar 28, 2017, 11:38 AM | Updated: 6:22 pm
The suspect, John Freeman, is shown at left. The entry sign for Bearizona is shown at right. (Yavapai County Sheriff's Office and Facebook Photos)
(Yavapai County Sheriff's Office and Facebook Photos)
PHOENIX — A man who allegedly opened fire on deputies and forced the lockdown of a popular wildlife park and schools in northern Arizona was arrested Monday.
The Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office said 31-year-old John Freeman was arrested without incident a few hours after several gunshots rang out.
YCSO said deputies attempted to stop Freeman on Interstate 40 about 10:45 a.m. Monday for a traffic violation, but he allegedly sped away after letting a man — who was found to be a hitchhiker — jump from the vehicle.
The man was dragged a short distance and was seriously injured. He was hospitalized.
Deputies pursued Freeman and the chase hit speeds of more than 110 mph. Freeman allegedly shot at deputies multiple times, hitting a nearby motor home.
Freeman’s car was later disabled and crashed near Williams.
Freeman himself tried to jump from the moving car after exiting the freeway, got caught in the door frame, was dragged down an embankment and then freed himself and ran off after the car crashed, the sheriff’s office said.
Schools in the area of milepost 165 on I-40 were put on lockdown, as well as Bearizona, a park where visitors can drive alongside bears and other wildlife in the woods about an hour south of the Grand Canyon.
It took more than three hours to evacuate about 200 people from the wildlife park after it was placed on lockdown. Drivers in the area were warned not to pick up any hitchhikers.
Freeman was not armed when he was arrested but sheriffs later found a handgun allegedly used by him.
The sheriff’s office said the car Freeman was driving was stolen in Kingman and was displaying false plates.
Freeman told police he had smoked methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia was found in the trunk.
Freeman was wanted in Kingman on a drug-related warrant. He was convicted of vehicle theft charges in Oregon.
Freeman was charged with a slew of crimes, including aggravated assault on a peace officer, drive-by shooting, vehicle theft and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Another man who was in the car, 30-year-old Gideon Eads, was also arrested and was charged with vehicle theft.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
