Phoenix police detectives are investigating an officer involved shooting that occurred after a man pointed a handgun at officers.
On July 15th, 2022 around 11:30 a.m., Phoenix police were called to the area of 27th Avenue and Bell Road about an aggravated assault against a security guard. The officers learned that the suspect, who police have not identified yet, was walking through a parking lot with another male. A security guard recognized the suspect as having been banned from the property. The guard got out of his car and asked the man to leave, noticing a gun in his waistband. The security guard got back into his car and saw the suspect point a gun at him. He called the police and began following the man who walking away.
The suspect made it to the parking lot of a nearby hotel where he approached a man he knew. The suspect verbally confronted the adult man, pistol whipped him, pointed the gun at the man’s head and pistol whipped him again. The suspect then entered the hotel.
Phoenix Police arrived at the hotel and began looking for the suspect. He was found hiding near a stairwell and was given commands, but he ran away. Officers used less lethal tools, but the suspect continued to elude officers. Officers located the suspect with a gun in his hand running up and down a stairwell. He came out of the stairwell and pointed a gun at officers. An officer responded to the threat by firing at the suspect. The suspect ran into a laundry room of the hotel and tried to hide in a washing machine. An officer used a less lethal a stun bag causing the suspect to surrender. He was taken into custody and transported to a local hospital for minor injuries caused by less lethal projectiles.
Once released from the hospital, the suspect is expected to be booked into jail on several charges including aggravated assault on a police officer. No officers or other community members were injured as a result of this incident.