Suspect injured in officer-involved shooting in Mesa

PHOENIX — Mesa police were on the scene of an officer-involved shooting Tuesday afternoon, the second such incident in less than a week.

According to the Mesa Police Department Twitter account, no officers were injured in the incident near Alma School Road and Rio Salado Parkway.

We are currently on scene for an Officer Involved Shooting near 1000 W 9Th Place in Mesa. All officers are okay. PIO will be responding and will provide additional information on media staging area soon.

— Mesa Police Dept. (@MesaPD) June 19, 2018

Det. Nik Rasheta, a spokesman for the Mesa Police Department, said in a later email that the incident began with a call of a speeding vehicle that began with an alleged armed robbery that morning.

An unidentified woman told police she spotted her grey Buick speeding near Main Street and Extension Road around 11:48 a.m. after she was allegedly robbed at gunpoint for her vehicle earlier that morning.

The vehicle eventually crashed into a chain-link fence near 9th Street and Westwood and the male and female who were in the vehicle attempted to flee the scene on foot.

Rasheta said the male pointed a handgun at an officer during the on-foot pursuit and the officer shot him.

The suspect suffered a non-life threatening injury and was transported to a local hospital. His weapon was found at the scene.

The female was detained without incident.

None of those involved were immediately identified.

This is the second officer-involved shooting in Mesa in days.

On Saturday, a man was shot and killed after pointing a realistic looking BB gun at officers who were responding to a 911 hang-up call from a residential area.

The department has been under scrutiny lately after the release of multiple videos showing alleged police brutality.

On June 8, Chief Ramon Batista announced that two investigations were being launched into his department’s behavior.

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