PHOENIX — Phoenix police and the Department of Public Safety have arrested a man after he allegedly pulled over to shoot at an unoccupied vehicle that had been parked for a traffic stop. Minutes before that incident, he reportedly shot at his own car and a passenger in a motel parking lot, officials said.
Around 10:20 p.m. the suspect pulled into a motel parking lot near 35th Avenue and Latham street with a woman in his car, police said.
While in the parking lot, the man got out of his vehicle and "for reasons unknown" shot at his car, police said. Although the vehicle was hit, the woman inside was not injured.
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Police said the suspect then got back into his car with the woman, and drove off from the parking lot. Allegedly, the woman didn't know he was the one who was shooting into their own vehicle.
After leaving the parking lot, the man reportedly drove to the area of 35th Avenue and Thomas Road where a DPS trooper was in the middle of an unrelated traffic stop.
According to reports, the suspect parked his car beside the vehicle DPS had stopped and fired multiple times at that vehicle.
The driver of that vehicle had already been removed from the vehicle by DPS, so no one was hit by the gunfire police said.
Multiple Phoenix police and DPS units responded to the scene after the trooper called for assistance, and the suspect was taken down with a less-lethal 40mm Launcher.
Police said that no serious injuries were reported, and both the suspect and the woman he was driving with were taken into custody.
Authorities said that they believe impairment played a role in both of these shootings. They did not provide the suspect's identity.
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