Happy Friday!
We're staying on top of the latest happenings from across the Valley, state, and our nation for Friday, June 26; here’s what you need to know as you start your day:
From Meteorologist Jorge Torres - High winds and critical fire danger across Arizona
A hot and breezy finish to the week in the Valley. Temperatures hold near 110º with gusty afternoon winds. Then this weekend, we cool slightly into the lower 100s, but it remains dry and breezy.
Video shows former Buckeye officer accused of assaulting two people in handcuffs
A former Buckeye police officer is headed to trial on two counts of aggravated assault after internal investigations documented what supervisors described as excessive and unnecessary force against people who were handcuffed and in custody.
Carri Carrico, who resigned from the Buckeye Police Department earlier this month, was indicted by a grand jury on May 27, 2026, on two counts of aggravated assault — one count connected to each of two separate incidents. She entered a not guilty plea at her arraignment earlier this week. Her trial is scheduled for November. Her attorney declined to comment.
ABC15 obtained body camera footage and surveillance video from both incidents.
The first incident: A pregnant woman in handcuffs
The first incident happened on Nov. 1, 2025. Carrico arrested a 21-year-old woman — who was nine months pregnant — for reckless driving after a traffic stop in Buckeye.
The woman told investigators Carrico's demeanor was hostile from the start of the stop. She said Carrico questioned her attitude, made demeaning comments during a pat-down search, and told her family that whether she went to jail depended on her attitude. Internal records obtained via public records request say Carrico made comments, including calling the woman "gross," "nasty," and "an ass" — all captured on body camera.
The woman was handcuffed behind her back and transported to the Buckeye Police Department booking facility. Surveillance video from inside the booking room shows Carrico pushing the pregnant woman against a wall and dragging her back to a bench.
New lawsuit accuses Tolleson SRO of using excessive force on a student
A new lawsuit accuses a former Tolleson school resource officer of using excessive force against a 16-year-old student during an on-campus confrontation in 2024.
The complaint, filed on behalf of Vasquez Romero, claims the then-11th grader was leaving the school’s front office, as directed, when School Resource Officer Eric Hendrix confronted him outside.
According to the court documents, Officer Hendrix punched the teen in the face several times, delivered a knee strike, and continued using force after Vasquez Romero was handcuffed, with Officer Diana Rivas helping restrain him, until a supervising sergeant ordered him to stop.
The lawsuit also alleges Hendrix never activated his body-worn camera, but that school surveillance video captured the incident.
Two independent reviews back the allegations. The school district commissioned its own review. Tolleson Police conducted a separate use-of-force investigation. Both found Hendrix’s actions to be excessive and unjustified.
The lawsuit names the city, the police department, the school district, and several officers as defendants, alleging battery, excessive force, negligent training, and negligence.
Luke Air Force airmen’s $100 fix helps protect F-35 fleet from costly engine damage
On a flight line dominated by one of the world’s most advanced fighter jets, two Air Force weapons airmen have solved a stubborn problem with a solution that costs less than $100.
Tech. Sgt. Zach Allbee and Tech. Sgt. Nik Yakel, weapons specialists with roughly 15 years each in uniform, helped design a simple attachment that keeps spent ammunition casings from scattering under F-35A Lightning II jets — a foreign object debris hazard that can sideline an aircraft and cost the Air Force millions.
The device, nicknamed Project ZACH for Zero Point Ammunition Cartridge Handler, guides used brass from the aircraft’s internal loading mechanism into an ammo can instead of bouncing across the concrete. What sounds minor on paper can be mission-critical on the ramp.
“If one of those cases gets picked up by an aircraft and damages its engine, that’s 20-plus million dollars out the door,” Allbee said, describing how a single casing left on the flight line can be sucked into an intake.
For years, weapons crews downloading the F-35’s gun system relied on gravity and good aim. As the aircraft’s spent casings dropped more than six feet from the device used to load and unload ammunition, airmen tried to “eyeball” them into an ammo can. Many missed.
Allbee estimates he has loaded and unloaded 200,000 to 300,000 rounds over his career, from A-10s to F-35s. He said even experienced crews routinely lost brass during a download.
Free dog booties: Giveaway events happening around the Valley this summer
For the 16th year, a local company is hosting a Valleywide campaign to help protect pets from dangerous heat and injuries.
Pet owners can check out a variety of "Cause for Paws" events at local shopping centers to get free dog booties to prevent burn injuries on hot pavement and other surfaces.
The Arizona Humane Society says asphalt can reach 160-180º or more during the hot summer months.
“If you can’t hold the back of your hand on the pavement for seven seconds, it’s too hot for your dog,” said Doug Fulton, the CEO of Fulton Homes, in a media release. “In a town that's synonymous with the ability to fry eggs on summer sidewalks, the pavement in the summer is rarely safe for our pets."
The giveaway events, put on by Fulton Homes and 100.7 KSLX, will take place throughout the summer in the PetSmart parking lots at the following locations, from 9-11 a.m.:
- June 27 Desert Ridge Marketplace
- July 11 Westgate Entertainment District
- July 25 Tempe Marketplace
- August 1 Gilbert Gateway Towne Center
- August 15 Lake Pleasant Towne Center
- August 22 Desert Ridge Marketplace
The events are open to the public and are first-come, first-served.
Bo, an Australian Shepherd dog belonging to Kim Leeds, walks on cement in Phoenix wearing special booties made for dogs on Sunday, June 19, 2016. According to the National Weather Service, the high temperature in Phoenix has already surpassed the previous record for June 19 set in 1968 of 115 degrees. (Kim Leeds via AP)
