Law Enforcement Officers Fired Upon Near Bouse Wash Rest Area on Westbound Interstate 10

Bouse Wash Rest Area, Arizona- On November 28, 2017 at around 1:50 a.m., an attempt to locate (ATL) was put out by the Arizona Department of Public Safety (AZDPS) dispatch regarding a shooting suspect wanted by the Phoenix Police Department. A short time later, an AZDPS trooper came across a semi-trailer whose driver claimed to have been shot at and struck by shrapnel. 

As the trooper was checking the area he located a male subject standing outside of a car by the highway. The male suspect immediately opened fire on the trooper who returned fire and upon the arrival of La Paz County Sheriff Deputies, Quartzsite Police Department Officers and U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agents, the suspect continued shooting. The suspect was shot and wounded during the exchange. 

(Suspect Vehicle Pictured)

At this time, state detectives are investigating to determine whether the wound was self-inflicted or a result of returned shots from law enforcement. The suspect was airlifted to a Phoenix area hospital with life threatening injuries. No law enforcement officers were injured during the exchange. State Detectives are leading the investigation into the shooting and we expect the investigation to continue for an extended period of time. The suspect in this shooting has been confirmed to be the same suspect as that put out in the ATL by the Phoenix Police Department earlier this morning. Please contact the Phoenix Police Department for information regarding the original shooting incident that occurred within their jurisdiction.

Interstate 10 westbound has since been re-opened.