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Man in extremely critical condition after road rage shooting leads to violent crash
An aggravated assault shooting in Avondale led to a high-speed police pursuit and a violent crash on Saturday. FOX 10's Andrew Christiansen learns more, as the suspect remains hospitalized in extremely critical condition.
AVONDALE, Ariz. - An aggravated assault shooting turned into a violent crash in Avondale on Saturday.
What we know:
The incident started around 12:40 p.m. on June 6 near Avondale Boulevard and Van Buren Street. Police say a man shot at another car then drove off.
"He looked unconscious. Honestly, he was probably unconscious," Nick Downey, a neighbor said. "From the video, you could see him pulling him out of the car. They rolled him over a couple times and then had the blanket over them, but then they flipped him over on to the blanket to take him over to the hospital."
Video shows the aftermath, where officers can be seen pulling the suspect out of the vehicle. The car is heavily damaged, severely beaten up, and totaled.
"Our officers observed the vehicle driving north at a high rate of speed, maintained visual, and drove north in the same direction, but due to the suspect driving fast, our officers were never directly behind the vehicle or had an opportunity to initiate a pursuit," police said.
What they're saying:
"It’s a quiet, nice little neighborhood. I mean things happen everywhere but this is definitely out of the ordinary," Downey said.
Police report that right before the crash, the suspect was driving extremely fast. He crashed into another car at Thomas Road, but kept driving until he crashed just south of Bermuda Drive.
"We were a few houses down and we heard a noise and then we got out of the car at my house and seen a plume of smoke," Downey said.
Officers pulled the suspect out of the car, and he was taken to a local hospital in extremely critical condition.
"Seen cops everywhere with their assault rifles out, and all that," he said.
Dig deeper:
The driver he hit at Thomas Road only has minor injuries, and the people he reportedly shot at were not hurt.
Downey said he was driving in the same direction around the time of the crash and feels lucky his car didn't get hit.
"Thankful that you know we were in the right place at the right time," Downey said.
What you can do:
Drivers traveling through the area will have to detour around these streets and navigate through the surrounding neighborhoods.
Road closures
Police closed off Avondale Boulevard and Thomas Road, as well as Garden Lakes Parkway and Lakeshore Drive.
What's next:
Police are still investigating.
Map of the area.
The Source: Avondale Police Department