Man shot by deputy in chase
is jailed, faces multiple charges
A 25-year-old carjacking suspect who was shot during an October confrontation with deputies was booked into jail Tuesday, officials said.
Elijah Lawrence is facing four charges of aggravated assault, one charge of armed robbery and two charges of kidnapping in connection with the Oct. 4 incident, Deputy Cody Gress, a Pima County Sheriff’s Department spokesman, wrote in a news release.
Lawrence has been in a medical rehabilitation facility recovering from his gunshot wound and related surgeries, Gress wrote.
The incident began with a carjacking report at about 1:30 p.m. in the 5000 block of East Valencia Road at a Chevron gas station, which turned into a chase involving DPS troopers on Interstate 10.
A man “pulled out a handgun and carjacked a victim at the Chevron who was pumping gas,” said Sgt. Pete Dugan, a Tucson Police Department spokesman. He said the armed man “took off in the car and he dumped it on the highway” and ran away.
Gress gave the following account:
About 15 minutes later, there was a report of another carjacking at a house in the 4100 block of East Dover Stravanue, which is in the county, outside the city limits. Failing to get a car there, the man went to another home on the street, held a man at gunpoint and stole his car while taking him hostage.
Deputies caught up to the vehicle at South Catalina Avenue and East Drexel Road, and a chase began.
There were two men inside the car, the gunman and the hostage. The gunman was driving and pointing a gun at the other man and also pointing the gun at law-enforcement officers.
The vehicle stopped on East Aviation Parkway near East 34th Street when the gunman’s car veered into a concrete median. The gunman pointed a gun at the hostage again, “at which point shots were fired.” A deputy fired one round, Gress said.
The suspect, later identified as Lawrence, was taken by ambulance to Banner-University Medical Center Tucson.
Sgt. Kevin Kubitskey, an 18-year sheriff’s veteran, fired at Lawrence during the confrontation, the department said.
Dog recovering after found hanging from tree near Oracle, Limberlost
A dog is recovering at the county animal shelter after it was found hanging from a tree on Tucson’s north side, officials said.
Shortly before 1 p.m. Monday, Pima Animal Care Center personnel responded to a call about a dog hanging from a tree behind Lowe’s at 4151 North Oracle Road, near West Limberlost Road, Pima County spokeswoman Marcia Zamorano wrote in a news release.
A 15-year-old girl on a walk in the neighborhood heard whimpering and went to investigate, finding a black, mixed-breed dog hanging from the tree.
The girl climbed the tree and released the dog from the material that was strung around its neck before contacting PACC for assistance, the release said.
The dog was taken to PACC’s medical team for evaluation. X-rays showed the dog sustained minimal injury from the hanging. As a precaution, the dog has been placed under observation, the release said.
An investigation of the scene and review of security footage failed to turn up any clues in the incident, and PACC is asking the public for help in locating a suspect.
Anyone with information or tips is asked to contact PACC’s Sgt. Tiffany Foster at 724-5990 or tiffany.foster@pima.gov. People with information can also call 88-CRIME.
