PHOENIX — New details have emerged about the carjacking of an Arizona Public Service (APS) work truck early Wednesday morning. A spokesman with the Department of Public Safety (DPS) said that the vehicle was taken at gunpoint and the suspect eventually broke into a West Valley home.
Around 4:53 a.m. on Wednesday, an APS worker reported that their vehicle had been car-jacked on State Route 101 near milepost 3, the Department of Public Safety said.
The worker had stopped to help when he saw a vehicle stopped in the northbound lane of SR 101. He got out of his truck to help the driver push the car out of the way when the driver pulled a gun on the worker and demanded his truck, DPS said.
DPS has identified the suspect as 23-year-old Anthony Sierra.
The man then took off in the APS work truck, leaving the worker behind. He led authorities on a chase down the highway before pulling off into a roadside ditch near Lower Buckeye Road.
Authorities found the vehicle and set up surveillance after the suspect fled on foot into a West Valley neighborhood.
Helicopter footage of the incident showed the stolen truck at rest in a roadside drainage canal near 107th Avenue and Lower Buckeye Road.
Sierra then reportedly hopped a backyard fence and entered a nearby home where a family of four was staying. He was still armed at this time.
Authorities said that the father was able to talk the suspect down and the man left their home, hopping into adjacent backyards.
A DPS SWAT team finally confronted Sierra further down the street, where he was arrested without further incident.
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Sierra was taken into custody around 7:24 a.m. and booked into Maricopa County Jail. Authorities said he'll be charged with armed robbery, vehicle theft, burglary, and criminal damage.
No one was hurt during the incident.
"Our top concern is with our employee and providing support," An APS representative said. "We are thankful he was not physically injured."
This is a developing story and details are subject to change. Stay with 12News as we continue to update the story with more information.
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Arizona's Silent Witness program allows people to send in tips and share information about crimes happening within their local communities.
The program shares unsolved felony case information in multiple ways, including TV, radio and social media.
Anyone who has information on a crime or recognizes a suspect described by the program is asked to call 480-948-6377, go to the program's website online or download the Silent Witness app to provide a tip. The identity of anyone who submits a tip is kept anonymous.
Calls to Silent Witness are answered 24/7 by a live person and submitted tips are accepted at all times. Submitted tips are then sent to the detective(s) in charge of the specific case.
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