Police: Woman opened fire on first responders at crash scene

WADDELL, Ariz. (KSAZ) - Authorities say a crash took a scary turn for first responders in the west Valley when the driver involved in the crash started shooting at them.

According to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, the shooting happened after a woman crashed her car in a desert area near Perryville Road and Olive Avenue on Sunday night.

When first responders arrived at the scene, she opened fire.

"It's very scary, I'll tell you that," said a person who lives near the scene of the incident.

"A cop that came by with a flashlight and he said there's somebody shooting at us, this way, so just stay in the back of your house," said another person who lives in the area.

"One of our engineers took cover behind a guard rail," said Shawn Gilleland with the Rural Metro Fire Department. "Our firefighter who was treating the young girl on scene actually took cover behind the wrecked vehicle."

While the woman kept shooting, the firefighter used a strap to lasso the victim.

"He was able to pull her towards him, where he had taken cover behind the wrecked vehicle and continue reassuring her and making sure she was OK until they could get everyone out of the scene," said Gilleland.

No one was hit by the gunfire and a SWAT team was called in after the woman refused to follow orders from police. A K-9 deputy was used to help get the woman into custody. She has been taken to a hospital, but it's unclear at this point why she opened fire on first responders.

The neighborhood was blocked off for several hours. Meanwhile, MCSO investigators are still looking into whether drugs or alcohol may have played a part in the incident.