After leading police through some of the East Valley on September 11, a man is now in jail after eluding law enforcement.
After eluding law enforcement of the East Valley on September 11, a man is now in jail. (Photo: Pexels)
According to Fox10, the incident allegedly began when Mesa Police officers attempted to stop a gold Mercedes ML-320 that had been reported stolen near Broadway and Valencia. The car accelerated away when police arrived, suspect tried eluding law enforcement, which precipitated the police situation.
Air units were called in and began to follow the suspect from above as he drove through Tempe and Scottsdale, As the suspect was eluding law enforcement, the suspect almost collided with several other vehicles, including a school bus, and occasionally driving in the opposite direction of the traffic.
After eluding law enforcement, the suspect, Johnathan Crawford, 32, eventually pulled into the Independence 47 Hotel in Scottsdale. Crawford exited the car as SkyFOX flew over the hotel and dashed inside.
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A hotel visitor speaks up
After eluding law enforcement the suspect was taken into custody, We spoke with a hotel guest, and he admitted that it was too close for him to feel safe.
The man, who wished to remain unnamed, claimed that when he saw the suspect approaching his building, it was while he was already watching the chase on television.
We only saw him pull up right behind my car and run by the door because none of us opened the door, the man said. “We saw him pull in right behind my car, and he ran by the door, and that’s all we saw,” he added. “We didn’t realize it was on Pima Road until then.”
The guests claim that while they were hiding inside their rooms, they could hear the commotion coming from the courtyard on the other side of their doors.
The man said, “We did look through the peephole and saw him run by and run that way, but we did not see where he went.
Crawford was ultimately taken into custody and lodged in a jail. He is charged with several offenses, including endangerment, reckless driving, theft of a motor vehicle, and reckless driving. According to the police, the stolen car also contained suspected fentanyl and drug paraphernalia.
Crawford claimed he bought the car from someone else and denied knowing the car was stolen, according to court documents. Crawford allegedly admitted to police that he ignored their requests to stop because he was wanted for arrest.
According to officials, nobody was hurt in the incident.
