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DPS troopers open fire on pursuit suspect

Posted at 12:23 PM, May 15, 2016
and last updated 2016-05-16 00:59:24-04

A pursuit on Interstate 40 near Ash Fork ended with troopers firing shots and a suspect in custody. 

According to the Arizona Department of Public Safety, a tractor-trailer rig led police on a 100-mile chase.

DPS says the troopers were alerted to a tractor trailer driving around 90 miles per hour and passing vehicles on the shoulder Sunday morning near Kingman.

The vehicle crossed into California, only to return heading eastbound on I-40 through Arizona. Troopers and deputies from Mojave and Yavapai counties gave pursuit and were able to stop the vehicle near Ash Fork, about 100 miles east of Kingman.

The driver abandoned the tractor trailer and started running away. The driver stopped while being chased by DPS troopers and a canine and used his cell phone as a simulated weapon. One trooper fired several shots, but none hit the suspect. The canine was able to apprehend the driver, who was identified as a man in his late 30s.

The situation led to restrictions on I-40 in the area of Ash Fork while authorities completed their investigation. The interstate fully reopened to traffic just before 10 p.m. Sunday.

The suspect, who has not been identified, was taken to a hospital in Flagstaff for treatment of a dog bite.

Authorities said possible factors detectives were looking into included drug intoxication and an attempt to commit suicide by cop, according to a release from the Arizona Department of Public Safety.