Tempe Police reported the following incidents Thursday:
A 21-year-old man was arrested June 20 on the on the intersection of Meridian Road and Crescent Avenue on suspicion of threatening a witness with damage of property, burglary, theft of a means of transportation, armed robbery, criminal damage, possession of weapon by a prohibited person and driving with a suspended or revoked license, according to a police report.
The man originally approached the victim’s vehicle, a white 2000 Chevy Blazer, while it was parked with its engine running outside a Fry's, police reported. The victim’s girlfriend and three-year-old son were waiting in the car, police reported.
When the man approached the front driver’s door, the girlfriend leaned over, opened the door and offered the man money for a bus pass, according to the report.
The man then pulled the door open and threatened her and her child saying “Don’t make a scene or I’ll shoot you and the baby,” according to the report.
The man entered the drivers seat of the vehicle while the woman exited and retrieved her baby, police reported. He fled with the vehicle westbound on Baseline, according to the report.
The man was described as a white male, tall with a skinny build, with a dirty appearance and multiple piercings, police reported.
The police located the stolen car nearly an hour later with a man matching his description, according to the report.
The officers followed the car and performed a high-risk stop of the vehicle placing him under arrest, police reported.
During an interview the man said that he stole the vehicle because he was hot and needed to get out of the sun, but denied threatening the occupants, according to the report. He said after he stole the vehicle he wasn’t driving anywhere, he was just “cruising” and that he was planning to ditch the vehicle later, police reported.
He told police that he knew there was a handgun in the center console because he handled the firearm and put it back, according to the report.
He admitted he was on probation and is not allowed to be carrying a firearm, according to the report. He also told the officers he threw one of the victim’s cellphones out the window after it was retrieved by investigators , police reported.
The man admitted to police in the interview that he was a member of the criminal street gang “Crazy White Boyz,” and had corresponding tattoos to the gang, police reported. He was placed on probation after he was charged with assisting a criminal street gang, according to the report.
The man was transported to Tempe City Jail, where he was booked and held to see a judge, police reported.
Report compiled by Megan Janetsky.
Reach the reporter at megan.janetsky@asu.edu or follow @meganjanetsky on Twitter.
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Tempe Police: ‘Crazy White Boyz’ gang member threatens baby, steals car
Tempe Police Headquarters
