Officials say two men were taken into custody Friday after their vehicle was stopped and one of the men fled, carjacking a truck and leading officers on a chase through a central Phoenix neighborhood.
Department of Public Safety Officer Robert Bailey said that at about 4 p.m. a DPS Officer stopped a vehicle driven by Charles B. Smith, 26, of Avondale, near 16th Street south of Interstate 17.
Bailey said the officer was taking a male passenger, 34-year-old Roy Eugene Evans II, of Peoria, into custody for drug violations when Evans struggled with and assaulted the officer after he had handcuffed one wrist.
Evans reportedly ran from the vehicle and the officer pursued him on foot for a short time. Bailey said the officer returned to the suspect vehicle where he took Smith into custody.
As an additional DPS Officer came down the frontage road, officials say he saw Evans assault and then "car-jack" the driver of a gray pick-up truck who was stopped at a red light.
The officer tried to stop the car-jacked pick-up but Evans led DPS officers on a short vehicle pursuit where DPS officers tried to spike the tires, Bailey said.
He said Evans bailed out of the truck in the area of 20th Street and Roeser Road and fled into a house. The home was occupied but none of the occupants was harmed, according to Bailey.
DPS officers and Phoenix police surrounded the house where Evans surrendered without incident just before 4:30 p.m. Bailey said he still had the handcuff attached to his wrist.
Both suspects were expected to be booked into the 4th Avenue Jail Friday night.
Bailey said Smith will be booked on charges of driving on a suspended license and Evans will be booked into the 4th avenue Jail on numerous misdemeanor and felony charges including, resisting arrest, aggravated assault on a police officer, car-jacking, assault, criminal damage, and felony flight. He said the two could face additional charges.
