March was a particularly busy month for the city’s police and fire departments. Here are the highlights and lowlights for 2022:
January
14
Gunshots at Candlelight Vigil: They came at dusk to remember the Maricopa teenager who was stabbed to death in Phoenix on January 14, 2020. But as Christopher Mikkel’s friends and family gathered at a candlelit memorial service in his memory, gunshots rang out in the parking lot.
No injuries were reported, and an initial investigation found that the shooting was caused by five teenagers firing into the air.
march
6
Found Corpse: One morning, Maricopa residents exploring the southeastern part of the city found the dead body of a woman in an abandoned palm grove. A dead woman found near North Anderson Road and the Santa Cruz Wash has been identified as 25-year-old Renis Garcia. Her last address was Casa Her Grande.
twenty one
Trouble comes to town: The drug trade began in Tempe and ended in Maricopa. Two of her, 18-year-old Isaiah Williams and her 17-year-old Saif Woods, met a man named 21-year-old Chris McCrimmon in an IKEA parking lot. An altercation began during the transaction and gunshots rang out, Tempe Police said.McCrimmon fell to the ground, and Williams and Woods jumped in a Ford Expedition and drove to Maricopa. While traveling south on California Route 347, Gila River Police officers spotted the vehicle and began chasing it.
Officers from Maricopa joined him as the suspect’s SUV turned into a Senita and stopped at block 43000 of the West Wild Horse Trail. At the time, Maricopa officers were in command of the tense scene, showing their weapons and giving orders, but additional police arrived and arrested and handcuffed the suspect. Williams and Woods were charged with first-degree murder and aggravated robbery by Tempe police.
28
Food Bank Fire: Hundreds of families searched for food sources after a fire destroyed the Maricopa Pantry in Hidden Valley. The fire started in a food bank trailer and spread despite volunteers’ attempts to extinguish it with fire extinguishers. No one was injured, but three food trailers were lost.
It was a devastating blow to founder Jim Shoaf, who was down but definitely not out. has been secured. Food distribution was resumed at the site within days. He said of the community’s immediate reaction: That means all our needs are met. ”
The legacy of the fire could become a new permanent structure at the site, Shoaf began working on the plan shortly after the fire.
April
6
Fear in the family: The 911 caller said his father was pointing a gun at his mother. Emergency operators could hear gunshots in the background before the call was disconnected. The reporter called him a second time when police headed to his home in Maricopa Meadows. He said his father was in the kitchen and there were gunshots and screams. “Please hurry.”
But this wasn’t a violent domestic affair. This was swatting, a criminal harassment tactic that falsely reported serious emergencies (such as murder or hostage situations) and often involved SWAT teams to rush to a person’s address.
Luckily, police were able to confirm that it was a false report before a family member living in the home and an officer were injured. He said he accepted it, but it is unclear whether he was arrested in connection with the incident.
in May
9
God made him do it: A man who allegedly crashed his car into another on the Maricopa-Casagrande highway told police he was acting on orders from God. Charged with the incident, both cars turned sideways near White Road and Parker Road. One of his vehicles collided with a telephone pole and power line, collapsing and falling near the vehicle. The victims were his husband and his wife, who were taken to hospital for treatment of their injuries. Witnesses said they believed the man was driving over 100 miles per hour and struck another vehicle.
11
Train vs. Truck: A Union Pacific train crashes into a stuck semi-truck west of Maricopa. A truck trailer loaded with agricultural equipment was jammed north of California Route 238 as it crossed over the railroad tracks on Ralston Road, apparently without enough clearance, police said. A westbound train struck the trailer, but no injuries were reported.
August
7
Busy Intersection Fires: A police chase resulted in a gunfight between drivers and officers at one of the city’s busiest intersections on Sunday night. Incredibly, the news station reported that the suspect had more than 27 bullet holes in his car’s windshield, driver’s side window, and body, but no one was killed.
The incident began with a stabbing on West Sanders Way, Homestead, with the suspect driving a Toyota Scion south on North Porter Road. Pursued by police, the man drove straight across the Maricopa-Casa Grande highway intersection, where a moving train blocked Porter. and started firing,” the eyewitness reported. The police then returned fire.
The injured suspect, later identified by police as Michael Zapata, crawled out of the passenger side of the vehicle and lay on the ground. He was arrested, taken to hospital for treatment, and later charged with aggravated assault with a lethal weapon (domestic violence), kidnapping (domestic violence), and aggravated assault. At least one bystander was injured in the initial crash, but no police officers were injured.
