PUBLIC SAFETY BRIEFS

Man threatening suicide arrested after police chase

A Phoenix police helicopter chase and standoff ended when officers shot gas at the vehicle and arrested the driver who had nearly crashed into officers responding to a call about a person threatening to “commit suicide by cop” late Friday.

Phoenix police responded to a home near 27th and Missouri avenues just before 11:15 p.m. after receiving a call that a man was threatening to commit an act that would prompt officers to kill him, Sgt. Armando Carbajal said.

Carbajal said officers called the residents inside the home but were unable to confirm if the man threatening suicide was inside the residence.

While investigating outside the home, the man drove up and approached the police perimeter, hitting an unoccupied police vehicle and nearly colliding with multiple officers, Carbajal said. The man failed to stop for the officers and drove away from the scene.

A police air unit followed the man’s car as it drove onto the northbound Interstate 17 freeway, Carbajal said. The man stopped near the 8600 block of I-17 northbound on a freeway access road but refused to exit the car, Carbajal said.

Carbajal said officers negotiated with the man and deployed non-lethal gas before the man surrendered. He was transported to a hospital for minor injuries and will be booked into jail after his release.

Following the incident, it was later determined that the man hit another vehicle on the freeway, Carbajal said. The Arizona Department of Public Safety is investigating the traffic collision.

Phoenix police seek driver after pedestrian dies in hit-and-run

Police are searching for a driver who fatally struck a pedestrian near 40th Street and McDowell Road early Friday.

Micah Badoni, 29, died at a hospital after he was hit crossing McDowell Road near 40th Street about 3:30 a.m., Phoenix police Sgt. Tommy Thompson said.

Police are unsure whether Badoni was in a crosswalk, but confirmed the vehicle drove off.

The intersection of 40th Street and McDowell was closed Friday morning as police investigated the incident.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Phoenix Police Department at 602-262-6151 or Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS.

Teen playing game in Chandler street struck by a vehicle

A teenage boy was hospitalized after being hit by a vehicle in Chandler on Friday night, officials said.

The 17-year-old male was walking in the street near Alma School and Queen Creek roads at about 6:30 p.m. when he was struck by a vehicle, said Kevin Quinn, a spokesman for the Chandler Police Department.

Quinn said the boy was playing an “interactive game” with other kids when he was hit.

The boy was transported to a local hospital, Quinn said, but no further details on his condition were available.

The investigation is ongoing.

Pedestrian injured after being struck by a car in Phoenix

The intersection of Camelback Road and 35th Avenue in Phoenix was closed Saturday afternoon after a pedestrian was struck by a car, officials said.

The collision happened shortly after 11:30 a.m.

The pedestrian was taken to a local hospital in serious condition.

It wasn’t clear whether the driver remained at the scene following the crash.

Phoenix police were still investigating the incident. Additional information wasn’t immediately available.

Ex-BMX coach pleads guilty to sexual conduct with minor

A former BMX coach pleaded guilty Friday to having sexual conduct with a minor and attempted child molestation, according to Maricopa County Superior Court officials.

Randall McCamman, 41, of Gilbert was originally charged with nine counts of sexual conduct with a minor and six counts of child molestation after his September 2017 arrest, officials said.

McCamman originally denied the allegations. He had been held in the Maricopa County jail on a $250,000 bail.

The case surfaced after a boy’s parent found a sexually explicit text message on the child’s phone, which prompted a Gilbert Police Department investigation.

More people came forward with allegations, police said. The victims ranged from ages 5 to 17 and some were in his care, police said.

His sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 28 at 9 a.m.