A vehicle pursuit in Prescott, Arizona ended Wednesday afternoon with allegedly surrendering to law enforcement after he was reportedly injured by exploding a propane tank.
The exploding propane tank caused a massive fire that damaged the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office patrol SUV, Prescott police say.
The suspect, 70-year-old James Crespo, faces multiple felony charges in connection with the case. AZ Family Report.
The incident began around 4pm and asked Prescott police to help arrest Crespo, who was believed to be in the area. He was sought and believed to be armed for a Maricopa County felony warrant for weapons misconduct.
Crespo was discovered by law enforcement officers who tried to pull him, but he refused to stop.
Police say Crespo approached the spike strip and stopped the car, setting the brooch he had hugged from the driver’s side window on fire before continuing to drive.
He was chased into a residential area where he reportedly plunged into a Prescott PD Patrol vehicle. Deputies from Yabapai County then placed the vehicle in the car box to prevent Crespo from driving.
At that time, the suspect reportedly exploded one of the propane tanks, causing his vehicle to be engulfed in flames.
“Several other tanks continued to explode and the fire began to spread. Deputies began using verbal de-escalation techniques to make the suspects crave to the edge of the flames. The threat to law enforcement and the public began to grow as the flames spread close to homes. The suspect was raw away from the flames, so deputies were able to detain him.” Yabapai County reports Facebook.
