Police from every law enforcement agency in the county joined the pursuit of a vehicle that fled a traffic stop after a suspected drug deal. On January 11, 2024 at approximately 2:00 pm a DPS detective alerted Safford Police about a vehicle involved in suspicious activity. The vehicle, identified as a brown 2015 Nissan Altima turned into the Safeway parking lot near Burger King. Three male occupants were seen getting out of the vehicle and went out of sight for a few minutes before getting back into the vehicle and driving away.
A Safford officer got behind the vehicle on Highway 70 and could not read the temporary license plate because it was not attached properly and was blowing upward from the wind. The vehicle failed to signal properly when turning into the Speedway parking lot across from Sonic on Highway 70, so the officer activated his emergency lights to conduct a traffic stop. As the officer approached the vehicle, it sped away, heading west on Highway 70.
Officers from Safford, Thatcher and Pima police departments as well as deputies joined the pursuit of the Nissan after it sped away from the gas station. The vehicle led police into the area of Daley Estates before they lost sight of the vehicle. A short time later, the vehicle was found abandoned on Moody Street, just north of Brinkerhoff Street. Witnesses saw one of the occupants run into a residence. When officers went to the door, the family told them they were not welcome in the residence, but that they would bring the suspect outside.
The suspect already had a felony warrant for his arrest and was taken into custody. The man told authorities that he did not know the names of the other two men in the car, but said that he had met them at the Mount Graham Apartments and they drove to Burger King to make a drug exchange.
A search of the vehicle turned up Fentanyl pills along with some foil with black residue. The accomplices were also located and placed under arrest. The suspects face charges of unlawful flight, resisting arrest, possession of a narcotic drug and drug paraphernalia
