ARIVACA (Arizona, US), Jan 28 (NNN-XINHUA) — A man is in critical condition after being shot in an incident involving the US Border Patrol in the state of Arizona on Tuesday morning, authorities said.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said it responded to the incident in Arivaca, an unincorporated community in Pima County about 16 km north of the US-Mexico border, local media reported.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos confirmed at a news conference that the suspect has been identified as Patrick Gary Schlegel, an Arizona resident.
The incident started around 7:30 a.m. local time after border Patrol agents recognized a vehicle they believed belonged to a man suspected of human trafficking in an earlier incident.
“When they made that traffic stop, the lone occupant, the driver, fled on foot,” said Nanos. “The border patrol agent chased after him on foot. Shortly thereafter, shots were fired by the suspect and the agent returned fire. The suspect was hit.”
The individual was taken into custody and transported to receive medical treatment, reported local media.
The sheriff’s department said that it is working in coordination with the FBI and US Customs and Border Protection.
Heith Janke, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Phoenix division, also told the media that the suspect shot at a Border Patrol helicopter and at agents during the incident. — NNN-XINHUA