Phoenix police shot and killed a carjacking suspect Tuesday near CityScape after he fled from a parking garage on Jefferson Street, police said, causing traffic to halt for most of the day.
Police shot and killed a man in a stolen SUV exiting a parking garage on Jefferson who was driving on the sidewalk toward pedestrians, Phoenix police spokesman Trent Crump said in a news conference. Another 23-year-old woman was taken into custody with minor injuries to her face, he said.
The woman, identified as Jessica Hicks, is being booked for first-degree murder and armed robbery. The male suspect has been identified; however, detectives are currently in the process of notifying his next of kin, Crump said in an email.
A police officer’s foot or ankle was injured during the situation. Crump said it was more than likely run over by a police vehicle, and he was expected to be OK.
Police shut down Jefferson Street between Central and First avenues at about 10:30 a.m. First Avenue was blocked off from Washington to Jefferson streets.
The eastbound light rail along First Avenue and along Jefferson Street was shut down with a rail shuttle running along Central Avenue and along Washington Street to maintain service through the downtown area, according to the Arizona Republic.
Employees from the businesses and the courts nearby huddled around the crime scene. Others murmured that they weren’t able to get to their vehicles or had to take long detours because of the closed streets. The road closures and rail shuttle stayed in place through the evening rush hour.
Jose Rodriguez was working on the 19th floor of the Hotel Palomar and saw the police begin to close down the streets at about 10:30 a.m. He said the police officers were chasing a vehicle in the area for a few minutes, but once the vehicle left the parking garage, it was over quickly.
“It was over in maybe 10 seconds. The car was driving east down the sidewalk and the cop car hit it and flipped west,” Rodriguez said. “There was just one (gun) shot and it was over.”
Crump said the situation began near 19th and Dunlap avenues Tuesday morning when automotive theft detectives in a semi-marked vehicle began following a truck driven by a man and a woman. Crump said the driver of the stolen vehicle realized he was being followed, did a U-turn and pointed a gun at the officers.
Another detective from the gangs squad began following the stolen truck southbound down the Interstate 17 when it entered the downtown area. Crump said the the two suspects entered a parking garage on Jefferson and stole an SUV from a 53-year-old attorney on her way to work. The victim told police the suspects had a gun during the exchange.
As the suspects tried to flee eastward down Jefferson, Crump said they drove down the sidewalk toward several pedestrians. An armored SWAT vehicle tried to hit the SUV to prevent it from endangering more pedestrians, but was unable to get over the curb for the light rail, Crump said. However, another officer in a truck was able to pin it into the Subway restaurant.
The man driving the stolen SUV was able to free himself from the pinned vehicle and a police officer fired one round from a rifle, killing him, Crump said.
Ed Haramina, a popular vendor known as Ed the Hotdogger who set up his stand on the southwest corner of First Avenue and Jefferson Street, said he saw a lot of police cars drive up to the parking garage about 10:40 a.m.
“I saw everything. A lot of cops came up because the guy was in (the garage),” he said. “I saw the the car leave the garage and the cops hit him and shoot him.”
Despite all the activity around the area with local business employees, court employees and people wearing “juror” stickers watching or trying to get lunch, Ed said he lost a lot of business because of the scene.
“I get a lot of bus drivers, taxi drivers or just people walking by who buy my hot dogs every day,” he said. “Now everything is closed and no one is coming by. Hopefully it’ll clear up soon.”
When he learned the roads would be closed through rush hour, he said he expected even fewer people to stop by and worried if he’d even be able to pack up his table and chairs and leave.
Contact the reporter at mlongdon@asu.edu
