2 men arrested after shots fired at Mesa police officer, car chase
Nov 9, 2021, 4:15 AM
Left to right: Chanceler Sandoval and Tobias Thomas (Mesa Police Department photos)
(Mesa Police Department photos)
PHOENIX — Mesa police arrested two men early Monday morning following a traffic stop where a passenger of the car shot at a Mesa police officer while the driver sped off in a car chase.
Chanceler Sandoval, 34, was booked into jail on various felonies including aggravated assault on law enforcement and drive-by shooting, while 33-year-old Tobias Thomas was booked on felonies including unlawful flight from law enforcement and aggravated DUI.
A Mesa police officer just after 2 a.m. noticed a vehicle with a broken taillight and pulled the car over, the Mesa Police Department said in a press release.
The car pulled into an apartment complex near McKellips Road and Country Club Drive and Sandoval allegedly leaned out of the passenger side window, pointed a handgun at the officer and shot several rounds.
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Thomas then sped out of the complex and reached speeds in excess of 120 mph before coming to a stop on a dirt road that dead-ended at the Verde River, police said.
Sandoval then allegedly ran from the vehicle while Thomas and a woman passenger were left behind.
Thomas and the woman were taken into custody, with the woman being interviewed and released without charges.
Sandoval was found by a Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office deputy just before 3:30 a.m. soaking wet and cold, police said.
He surrendered to police without further incident.
A gun was seen in plain view inside the vehicle, police said.
Sandoval admitted to shooting the handgun toward the officer and said that he is a convicted felon who was recently released from prison and he did not want to go back, police said.
He also allegedly admitted to police that he reloaded the handgun in preparation for another shootout while the vehicle fled.
Upon inspection of the officer’s vehicle, police located what appeared to be a bullet strike on the hood of the car.
No officers were injured in the incident.
Thomas, meanwhile, told police he had bought 6 pints of liquor and had been drinking all day long, according to the probable cause statement.
