The Associated Press
PHOENIX- A SWAT team officer shot and killed an armed Florida man as he held a woman by the neck on an Arizona freeway at the end of a long chase.
Police say their identities have not been confirmed, but the 49 year old man is believed to be from Jupiter, Florida, and the 53 year old woman is his wife or ex-wife.
Phoenix police say the incident began Friday night with the robbery of a pharmacy. The man reportedly took narcotics, then fled in a large motorhome pulling a pickup on a trailer.
Though chased by Arizona authorities, the man refused to stop and drove almost 50 miles into Phoenix, where police managed to flatten the RV’s tires with stop sticks. Television images showed a rear tire ignited and within minutes the entire back half of the large camper was blazing.
As explosions started ripping apart the back half of the RV, the man could be seen walking away, tightly holding a smaller person. Police say he showed no signs of surrendering, so a SWAT officer decided to take action and fired one fatal shot.