Tina Nixon/Arizona Silverbelt A Mesa Police Department unit responds to a shootout and standoff in Central Heights on May 12.
Murder suspect opens fire on approach in Central Heights, May 12, initiating hours-long standoff with law enforcementare doing The officers were identified by the U.S. Security Service. In a press statement, Marshal Sirdeputy The suspect was identified as 46-year-old Joseph Pratt, who is wanted for the March 3 Mesa murder and weapons violations.
That Friday afternoon, Pratt opened fire near Russell Road as members of the Sheriff’s Department-led Arizona Wanted Violent Criminals Task Force approached him. He then barricaded himself in the house and continued shooting. In the confrontation that followed, the Gila County Sheriff’s Office alerted the commune.nitty Members should avoid the area.
After hours of negotiations, Pratt was detained using less-lethal ammunition and taken to a local hospital for examination and treatment, according to a Sheriff’s Department statement.No officers or communicationnitty member injured.
Members of the task force worked closely with the Mesa Police Department, Apache Junction, and the Department of Public Safety’s SWAT team, as well as the Grove Police Department and the Gila County Sheriff’s Office, to negotiate peace with Pratt, according to a statement.full Surrender. Investigation is ongoing.
