Valley man talks from hospital bed about wild chase, shooting on highway
Photographer: KNXV
Copyright 2013 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Posted: 03/15/2013
A Valley man accused of opening fire on Department of Public Safety officers while driving down Interstate 10 on Thursday talked with ABC15 from his hospital bed.
Dennis Meeker said a DPS officer shot him once in each arm after he led officers on a chase Thursday .
“I heard pop, pop and then I felt it –boom– I got hit once and twice,” said Meeker.
Meeker said he was then bit by a police dog after finally stopping near Jackrabbit Road and Lower Buckeye Road.
DPS said Meeker shot at officers who were following him on I-10 but Meeker claims that's not possible because he never had a gun.
When asked if he shot at officers, Meeker said, “Absolutely not. No, I don't have a gun.”
“There was not a gun in the car. There was not a gun on me. There's no gun nowhere,” said Meeker.
However, officers said they watched meeker throw things out of the car before the chase ended which Meeker denied.
He was driving a stolen SUV that had been carjacked from a 70-year-old man earlier this week.
Meeker claims a friend let him borrow it and he had no idea it was stolen.
He does admit he led officers on a chase and blames his criminal past.
Meeker has been arrested for burglary, assault and resisting arrest in the past few years, and said that's why he never stopped when officers tried to pull him over.
“I'm going to trial on the 17th and I missed one of my court hearings, and I was a little bit concerned about there might be a warrant for my arrest on that issue,” said Meeker.
Copyright 2013 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
PRINT- Your Region News
Click on the region names in the map below to see news from that region.
RIGHT NOW: Top Stories
-
FACTS: Doce Fire threat updates
This is the latest information about the Doce Fire from the Prescott National and U.S. Forest Service.
-
PHOTOS: Doce Fire near Prescott
The massive fire has sent thick plumes of smoke across northern Arizona.
-
FORECAST: High winds add to fire threat
Dry air and hot conditions continue but now we're adding gusty winds into the mix and that's making for another day of dangerous fire conditions. Find out which areas are facing the greatest threat.
-
VIDEO: Air15 over flames in Prescott
Several hundred homes are under a mandatory evacuation order as crews continue to battle the Doce Fire.
-
AZ fire at 7K acres, hundreds evacuated
A wind-fueled wildfire that broke out Tuesday morning in the Prescott National Forest has grown to 5,000 acres in a matter of hours.
-
Gun threat evacuates Tempe theatre
The movie theatre at Arizona Mills Mall had to be evacuated Tuesday night after there were reports of a man with a gun inside.
