JULY 8, 2015
Family fends off carjacker at Walmart parking lot
SAN TAN VALLEY – On July 6 at approximately 8:40 p.m., a 33-year-old female reported an attempted carjacking of her and her family at the Walmart parking lot, 1725 W. Hunt Highway in San Tan Valley. Deputies arrived within minutes and after a brief foot chase and struggle, took the suspect into custody with no injuries. He is identified as Christopher Jones (r), a 31-year-old male Sacaton resident. He was booked into PCSO Adult Detention and is facing four counts of the following charges: Threatening and Intimidating, Endangerment, Aggravated Assault, and additional charges of Burglary (2-counts), Resisting Arrest, and seven counts of (felony) Disorderly Conduct.
The 33-year-old female, 29-year-old husband, and two children had just parked at the Walmart and she observed a man, later identified as Christopher Jones in a red truck parked directly in front of her. As she was getting her children out of the back of the car, the man exited the red truck and approached the driver’s side of the car. The husband saw the man approach the car and exited the car. The suspect pushed the husband away from the car and waived the knife at him. The suspect then entered the car, sitting in the driver’s seat. The suspect waived the knife at the kids in the back seat, yelling and threatening all four victims.
Sheriff Paul Babeu said, “At this point, the mother quickly and safely extricated her kids from the car as the husband confronted the suspect. This was enough to get the suspect to change his plan and flee the scene. We commend the mother who called 911 and gave us an accurate description of the suspect and what direction he was running.”
Arriving deputies saw the suspect running near a bank drive-thru and gave chase. The suspect ran across Hunt Highway into a Denny’s restaurant. Deputies saw the suspect standing near the registers and entered the restaurant. The suspect attempted to flee, but was tackled by deputies and a brief struggle ensued. The suspect was then taken into custody with no injuries to him, or the deputies.
The suspect was positively identified by the victims and was transported to PCSO Adult Detention for booking.
The owner of the red truck, where the suspect was first spotted by the victim, was contacted and confirmed that the suspect broke into her truck and attempted to steal items from inside.
The knife was recovered from inside the victims’ vehicle.
Sheriff Babeu said, “Our deputies arrived at the scene just minutes after the 911 call, which allowed us to pick up the suspect’s trail quickly and get him into custody before anyone was injured.”
