The fake calls resulted in troopers conducting a felony traffic stop on a school van
Flagstaff AZ (January 21, 2016) – Over the past two weeks, the Arizona Department of Public Safety’s (ADPS) northern Operations Communication Center (OPCOMM) located in Flagstaff, has received multiple 911 calls from a man falsely reporting various emergencies along northern Arizona highways.
Two of the calls reported that his vehicle had been shot at and hit by a passing vehicle. The man provided ADPS Dispatchers with a detailed description of the alleged suspect vehicle, license plate and gun. The man also reported that after the shooting the alleged suspect had thrown the gun out of the window.
Today, ADPS troopers in northeastern Arizona located the latest reported suspect vehicle, a white 15-passenger van and matching license plate traveling along Interstate 40, east of Winslow. The troopers conducted a high-risk traffic stop on the vehicle, only to learn that inside was a group of ten unsuspecting students and teachers from a local high school.
The case has been turned over to ADPS detectives in Flagstaff. Detectives are working to identify the person making the fake 911 calls.
ADPS Highway Patrol Captain Gary Phelps said, “Having to conduct a high-risk felony traffic stop on a school van stemming from a fake 911 report has our full attention and will will be aggressively investigated.”
“We are aggressively investigating the false 911 calls and we believe we have identified a suspect who lives out of state and we’ll be aggressively pursuing to locate that suspect for interviews and additional information regarding this case,” said ADPS Criminal Investigations Captain Bob Smart.