A Phoenix police traffic stop near Interstate 17 and Northern Avenue turned into a scramble to save a man’s life around 4 a.m. early Saturday morning after officers discovered the driver had been shot during a robbery miles away. The man was rushed to a hospital with life-threatening injuries, and detectives are now trying to piece together exactly what happened before he got behind the wheel.
Officers initially stopped the driver because he appeared to be driving erratically near the interstate and Northern Avenue, according to Arizona's Family. It was only after pulling him over that police realized he had been shot. The outlet reports the driver told officers he had been shot during a robbery near Indian School Road and 45th Avenue, a scene roughly 6.5 miles from where he was eventually stopped.
Paramedics took the man to a hospital in life-threatening condition, the station’s report states. Phoenix police have assigned detectives to investigate, though no further details about the robbery itself, including a description of any suspects or what was taken, have been released as the case remains active.
A Pattern Phoenix Police Have Seen Before
This isn’t the first time Phoenix investigators have dealt with a shooting victim who left the scene before police arrived. In June, officers and firefighters found 48-year-old Otis Sueing Jr. with multiple gunshot wounds near 45th Avenue and Weldon, according to FOX 10 Phoenix. Police said at the time that early information suggested Sueing had been shot and then drove away before crashing his vehicle at the spot where officers found him.
Sueing was taken to a hospital in extremely critical condition but did not survive, FOX 10 Phoenix reported. Roughly a week later, on June 26, police announced the arrests of 50-year-old Trinidad Black and 29-year-old Trinidad Brown. Brown was booked on charges stemming from the homicide, while Black was booked on outstanding felony warrants and additional drug-related charges.
A separate Phoenix shooting investigated by ABC15 followed a similar arc: officers responding near Interstate 17 and Thomas Road found a man with at least one gunshot wound, only to later determine the actual shooting had occurred near 27th Avenue and Indian School Road.
Investigation Remains Active
For now, the man’s condition and the full circumstances of the robbery near Indian School Road and 45th Avenue remain under investigation by Phoenix police detectives. No arrests have been announced in connection with Saturday morning’s shooting, and police have not released additional details about the search for suspects.
