Mesa man arrested after allegedly firing at officers during barricade situation

PHOENIX — A domestic violence situation in Mesa on Wednesday morning led to a man’s arrest after he allegedly barricaded himself in his home and fired at officers, authorities announced Thursday.

Thomas Zambrano, 33, is facing a total of six felony charges and three misdemeanor charges for the incident, which happened near the intersection of University Drive and Greenfield Road, according to the Mesa Police Department.

The situation caused University Drive to be closed for several hours.

Zambrano is being held on a $1 million bond.

Details of barricade situation that led to Mesa man’s arrest

Just after 5 a.m., officers were called due to a reported fight between Zambrano and his girlfriend that caused the woman to start bleeding from her head, according to police.

The woman was taken to the hospital and was treated for multiple injuries.

After arriving at the scene, officers tried to get Zambrano to come out of the home, but he refused and began yelling threats at the officers, police said.

At one point during the situation, Zambrano allegedly opened the front door and was armed with a rifle.

This led police to call SWAT officers in to assist; however, they too were unable to get Zambrano out of the home.

Police then deployed gas into the apartment. Zambrano allegedly responded by firing multiple shots at officers from inside the home.

No one was hit, but one bullet struck the window of a nearby home and caused a person inside to be injured by broken glass, police added.

After several hours, officers were able to convince Zambrano to surrender and took him into custody.

The Mesa Police Department said officers did not fire any gunshots during the barricade situation.

Zambrano was taken to a nearby hospital to be treated for minor injuries and was booked into the Fourth Avenue Jail after being released.

This is an updated version of a story originally published Nov. 5, 2025. 

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