Cops still looking for suspect who led them on high-speed chase
Jul 11, 2012, 12:20 PM | Updated: 7:04 pm
A high-speed pursuit on the Loop 202
in
Gilbert early Wednesday turned into a barricade
situation in southwest Phoenix and now police are unsure where the suspect is.
The suspect reached speeds of more than 100 miles per
hour driving a white van. Initially Gila River Police were
trying to
pull him over for speeding.
Police surrounded a house near 35th Avenue and
Southern Avenue where they believed the suspect to be and
ordered him
out of the house. After no response they stormed the house
and did not find the suspect.
“Because we already had the area contained we went ahead and had our SWAT team go in and search the residence and it appears he was not there,” Phoenix police sergeant Tommy Thompson said.
Carrick Cook with the Department of Public Safety says
police SWAT teams and canine units were on the scene.
Police did confirm with the owners of the house that the
suspect, a 23-year-old male, has outstanding misdemeanor
traffic violations.
“Indications we have, the information from the family that lives there, that they believe the individual has some traffic warrants out for his arrest. We set up a perimeter but apparently he was able to get out of the perimeter before we got set up,” Thompson said.
Police entered the home, but the man wasn’t inside. The suspect’s name hasn’t been released, but he is not believed to be dangerous.
The pursuit also involved police from Gilbert, Phoenix and DPS.
The car chase lasted nearly an hour and continued until
Seventh
Street on Interstate 10 before the driver exited.
Police received multiple calls from other drivers
reporting
what they thought was an impaired driver.
