Bizarre 40-mile police pursuit ends with a dance, 2 arrests

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A roughly 40-mile pursuit along Interstate 17 that began in Phoenix ended Tuesday night with two men arrested, one of them taken into custody only after dancing on a truck’s roof in front of state troopers, the Arizona Department of Public Safety said.

About 4:30 p.m., troopers were notified of a stolen 2003 Chevrolet pickup truck that was traveling along I-17 near Dixileta Drive, just south of Anthem, officials said.

The call came from Phoenix police, which led troopers to stop the suspected vehicle on I-17 north of State Route 74. However, the driver failed to yield and kept heading north, the DPS said.

Troopers backed off a pursuit and instead used a police helicopter to continue tracking the vehicle as it continued north on I-17. Eventually, an unmarked trooper vehicle located the truck and also followed it, the DPS said.

The DPS had confirmed the truck was stolen as it followed the vehicle.

Troopers attempted to spike the truck twice, unsuccessfully on I-17 south of Cordes Junction, then successfully a second time at Cordes Junction, near the State Route 69 junction.

The driver of the pickup continued northbound on I-17 for a while at slow speeds until the pickup lost a tire and came to a stop, the DPS said.