Authorities say a suspect in a hit-and-run crash has been caught trying to hide in the desert.
Police officers searching near Piestewa Peak caught the suspect Tuesday afternoon.
According to Sgt. Vince Lewis with the Phoenix Police Department, a 911 caller reported seeing a man exhibiting signs of dehydration and an apparent head wound.
The suspect mentioned he was hiding from police and is suspected of having left the scene of a hit-and-run crash nearby.
Video from Air15 showed several officers surrounding a man in handcuffs. Sgt. Lewis said the man showed signs of intoxication and made statements about possibly hurting himself and officers.
Officials on the scene are working on a plan to get the man safely down the mountain and to a hospital for care and evaluation, Sgt. Lewis said.
The man was loaded into a harness and transported via helicopter to a medical facility. Officials said the circumstances were out of the ordinary, but the plan has been rehearsed over and over.
"It's a unique situation," said Capt. Reda Bigler with the Phoenix Fire Department. "It's something we train for all the time, and we prepare for violent situations and I think this would fall into this category."
There was no word on what charges, if any, the suspect could be facing.
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