Mesa police shoot woman at headquarters in nighttime confrontation
Jul 8, 2022, 6:18 AM | Updated: 4:00 pm
(Screenshot/Google Maps)
(Screenshot/Google Maps)
PHOENIX – Police in Mesa said they shot a woman who rammed her car into a patrol unit as an officer drove into a headquarters parking lot Thursday night.
The Mesa Police Department said 39-year-old Taneysha Carter was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and later released to police.
She was booked on three felony charges, including aggravated assault and criminal trespass, authorities said.
A Mesa police officer around 9 p.m. was driving a patrol vehicle near Morris and University Drive when he noticed a car closely following him with hazard lights on, authorities said.
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The car continued to follow the officer as he entered the department’s parking lot, police said.
As the officer drove up and waited for the gate to open, the vehicle rammed his patrol car multiple times, authorities said.
The officer, after going into the secured area, got out of his car and rolled on the ground, suffering several scrapes and abrasions to his elbows, hands and knees, according to the probable cause statement.
Fearing for his life and believing the car was coming toward him, the officer fired his weapon, authorities said.
Police said Carter, who was now inside the secured area, allegedly got out of the car and ran toward the entrance to a holding facility.
The officer then fired his weapon again and Carter was struck at least once before being taken into custody, authorities said.
She later admitted to following the officer’s vehicle for around five minutes and said anytime she contacts police she has panic attacks and suffers from anxiety, according to the probable cause statement.
Carter allegedly said she believes authorities and others are trying to harm her and she wanted to get the officer’s attention to tell him this information.
She said her vehicle bumped the patrol vehicle but it was an accident, according to the probable cause statement.
It was the ninth shooting this year by Mesa Police and 32nd by law enforcement in the Valley, according to KTAR News 92.3 FM research.
