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Police: Man tagging tunnel off Hwy. 89 near Prescott hurt in fall

The 26-year-old slipped on the mossy surface Saturday afternoon.
Credit: Yavapai Co. Sheriff's Office

PRESCOTT, Ariz. — A 26-year-old man broke his leg after falling from a tunnel of highway 89 northeast of Prescott on April 4, according to the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office. 

The Sheriff's Office says around 3:30 p.m. on April 4, the man called 911 after falling out of the tunnel and said he broke his leg and his upper body was cut and bruised.  

It took first responders about 20 minutes to find him using GPS coordinates from the call. 

The Yavapai County Search and Rescue Team's Backcountry Unit was called in to help get to the man, assess his injuries and get him up to the road, so he could be put into an ambulance and taken to the hospital.   

Credit: Yavapai Co. Sheriff's Office

This took about two and a half hours, during which time Highway 89 was closed. 

Around 6 p.m., the man was put in an ambulance and taken to the Yavapai Regional Medical Center in Prescott, where he was found to have broken his leg. 

During the rescue, investigators learned the man had been 'tagging', or spray painting, inside the tunnel and slipped on the mossy surface inside and then fell into the ravine. Police found a bag of spray paint cans with the man.  

Police said the man was cited for criminal damage.  

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