A shouting match near McCulloch Boulevard North turned into a high-speed chase through Lake Havasu City streets Saturday night, ending with gunfire that struck another driver's tailgate. Police say two Las Vegas residents, 31-year-old Malachi Walls and 27-year-old Jasmine Walls, are now facing a long list of charges after the confrontation, though no one was hurt.
Lake Havasu City police responded to a report of a road-rage incident and possible shooting at approximately 10:17 p.m. on Sept. 26, according to thebee.news. Officers located both vehicles involved near Acoma Boulevard North and McCulloch Boulevard North, not far from the Arizona-California border, according to FOX 10 Phoenix.
Verbal Fight Escalates Into High-Speed Pursuit
Investigators say the confrontation began as a verbal altercation between Malachi and Jasmine Walls and the driver of another vehicle. The pair then followed that vehicle at a high rate of speed through several Lake Havasu City streets, the outlet's report states. During the pursuit, police say Malachi Walls fired multiple rounds at the vehicle being followed, striking its rear tailgate. No injuries were reported as a result of the shooting.
Police said Malachi Walls discarded the firearm from the suspects' vehicle during the chase. Officers later located and recovered the weapon, per the same account.
Charges Pile Up for Both Suspects
Malachi Walls was booked on charges of disorderly conduct with a weapon, discharging a firearm within city limits, false reporting to law enforcement, four counts of aggravated assault, four counts of endangerment, criminal damage, and drive-by shooting. Under Arizona law, a person commits drive-by shooting by intentionally discharging a weapon from a motor vehicle at a person, another occupied vehicle, or an occupied structure, according to the Arizona Legislature.
Jasmine Walls faces her own set of charges: false reporting to law enforcement, criminal speed, reckless driving, hindering prosecution, four counts of endangerment, and facilitation. Malachi Walls was issued an $11,500 secured bond and transported to the Mohave County Detention Facility, while Jasmine Walls was issued a $10,000 secured bond and released after posting it, per the same source.
Part of a Broader Pattern in Arizona
The Lake Havasu City case follows other road-rage shootings reported around Arizona this year. In Mesa earlier this month, a football coach was arrested after an alleged road-rage shooting and booked on charges including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, disorderly conduct with a deadly weapon, and unlawful discharge of a firearm, according to azfamily.com. Similar incidents have played out elsewhere in the country, including a Fort Worth case where a road-rage dispute led to a shooting call, a pursuit, and four teenagers detained after guns were found in their vehicle, as reported by NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth.
Lake Havasu City police have not indicated whether additional charges could be filed as the case moves forward. For now, the department says the information released reflects what officers determined at the scene and during the investigation into the confrontation near McCulloch Boulevard North.
