A Sunday night in Mesa turned into a high-speed drama when police chased down a driver, disabled his car, and pulled a 6-year-old boy from the back seat before returning the child to his mother, newly released footage shows.
According to Mesa police, the chaos started just after 10 p.m. near Ellsworth and Ray roads, where a witness reported seeing a man assault a woman and take her cellphone. Witnesses told officers the suspect then allegedly assaulted another person who tried to step in and sped off in a car with a child inside, officials said. Officers say the driver, later identified as Denzel Franklin, took off and hit more than 90 mph before police ended the ground pursuit and switched to a helicopter to track the vehicle, according to Arizona's Family.
In video released by Mesa Police, Franklin eventually pulls into a gas station near Broadway Road and the Loop 202. Officers move in and deploy a grappler device to lock down the fleeing car's rear wheel and bring it to a stop. The footage shows officers firing less-lethal rounds and releasing a police dog before they get Franklin into handcuffs. An officer then runs straight to the back seat, pulls the boy out of the vehicle, and tells him, "Come on over buddy. You're alright. You're alright." The child is safely reunited with his mother in the aftermath, the video indicates, according to Arizona's Family.
How officers stopped the car
Mesa police said the grappler helped officers end the pursuit while lowering the risk to other drivers and people nearby. National guidance from the Police Executive Research Forum urges agencies to reserve high-speed pursuits for situations where a suspect poses an imminent threat and to call off chases when the danger to the public climbs, a balance departments have to weigh in fast-moving incidents like this one, according to the Police Executive Research Forum.
Legal status
Authorities say Franklin was taken to a hospital and later booked into the Maricopa County jail on multiple counts, including aggravated assault, child endangerment, aggravated DUI and unlawful flight. Prosecutors have not yet made additional filings public, and the investigation remains active.
The Mesa Police Department says it released the footage to show how officers handled the response. The department says the investigation is ongoing. This story will be updated if more information or court records are made available.
