Coverage spread: 3 sources — 3 unrated
Lean ratings via AllSides / Media Bias-Fact-Check. How this works.
Where they agree
- A man driving from the Camp Verde area was pursued north on I-17 after a woman in his car reported he wouldn’t let her out.
- DPS used a spike strip near the Kelly Canyon exit/Munds Park area to stop the vehicle, after which the suspect fled on foot into the woods.
- A large multi-agency search located and arrested the suspect around 7 a.m., and the woman was found safe.
Where they differ
- AZFamily names the suspect as 22-year-old John Sanchez and details drug evidence (mushrooms, marijuana, cocaine) found in and near his vehicle; Fox 10 and 12 News, relying on the sheriff’s statement, do not name him.
- Fox 10 reports the suspect was believed to be armed with a handgun during the foot chase, a detail not mentioned by AZFamily or 12 News.
- Fox 10 highlights that emergency wireless alerts were sent to nearby communities (Mountainaire, Kachina Village, Forest Highlands) during the search, a detail absent from the other reports.
- 12 News offers only a brief confirmation of the arrest and rescue, while AZFamily and Fox 10 provide fuller accounts of the pursuit, search and charges.
A 22-year-old Phoenix man, identified by AZFamily as John Sanchez, was arrested early on Aug. 13 after leading police on a high-speed chase up Interstate 17 with a woman in his car who had called 911 to say he wouldn’t let her out. He eventually ran into the woods near Kelly Canyon, sparking a multi-agency manhunt, and was captured around 7 a.m. The woman was found safe.
How did the chase start?
According to the Camp Verde Marshal’s Office, a deputy stopped a vehicle around midnight on I-17 near State Route 260. A K-9 was deployed during the stop, and the driver sped off. Officers then learned the passenger, a woman, was trying to get out of the car and had called 911 to report the driver wouldn’t let her leave. That report turned a routine traffic stop into a kidnapping pursuit.
How fast did the chase get, and how did it end?
The Marshal’s Office says Sanchez’s car topped 100 mph at points during the pursuit and that he threw items out of the vehicle while driving. Arizona Department of Public Safety troopers and a helicopter joined the chase. DPS deployed a spike strip, known as a Stop Stick, north of Munds Park near the Kelly Canyon exit around mile marker 331, disabling the tires and ending the pursuit. The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office says the suspect, described as armed with a handgun, then got out and ran on foot into wooded terrain east of the interstate.
What happened during the search for the suspect?
Multiple agencies joined the ground search, including the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office, Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office, DPS SWAT and the Verde Valley Regional SWAT Team, aided by a DPS helicopter. As a precaution, emergency wireless alerts went out through the Integrated Public Alert & Warning System to residents in nearby Mountainaire, Kachina Village and Forest Highlands. The suspect was found and taken into custody around 7 a.m., roughly seven hours after the chase began, and was handed over to the Camp Verde Marshal’s Office.
What was found in the vehicle?
AZFamily reports deputies searching Sanchez’s car found about one pound of psilocybin mushrooms and nearly a pound of marijuana. Along the stretch of freeway where he was seen throwing objects from the car, they also recovered roughly 117 grams of cocaine. He was booked into the Yavapai County jail on charges including kidnapping, endangerment and multiple counts of drug possession.
What happened to the woman in the car?
All three sources confirm she was found safe. AZFamily adds that authorities connected her with support services after the ordeal. Coconino County Sheriff’s Office and Fox 10 did not name her, and none of the outlets released further details about her identity or relationship to the suspect.
Where does the case stand now?
The Camp Verde Marshal’s Office is leading the investigation, with the suspect facing charges in Yavapai County. It is not yet clear from available reporting when he will appear in court or whether additional charges tied to the drugs found in and around the vehicle will be filed separately.
Sources
Featured photo: Tony the Marine (talk) via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)