Suspect arrested after holding gun against own head during standoff in Phoenix
Dec 22, 2022, 10:36 AM | Updated: 10:41 am
Jesus Banuelos and Jennifer Covington (Maricopa County Sheriff's Office Photos)
(Maricopa County Sheriff's Office Photos)
PHOENIX — A suspect was taken into custody Wednesday after holding a gun against his head during an hourslong standoff in Phoenix, authorities said.
Officers attempted to pull over a vehicle with three occupants near 51st Avenue and Baseline Road around 8:45 a.m., the Phoenix Police Department said.
The driver continued into a nearby neighborhood near 43rd and Southern avenues. When the car stopped a man got out and jumped over a residential wall.
Officers found the man, later identified as 30-year-old Jesus Banuelos, in the driveway of a home.
Banuelos allegedly pulled out a gun and pointed it at one of the officers, police said. An officer then shot at Banuelos but didn’t injure him.
Banuelos then held a gun against his head, prompting officers to keep their distance, police said.
Negotiators spent about three hours talking to the suspect before he dropped his weapon and was taken into custody.
After being evaluated at a hospital, Banuelos was booked into jail on multiple felony counts, including aggravated assault on an officer, police said.
Two women who were in the vehicle were detained at the scene, but one was released after questioning.
The driver, 42-year-old Jennifer Covington, was arrested on an unlawful flight count, police said.
