Suspect Who Shot at Officer Booked into Jail.

The suspect who shot at officers in the early morning hours of  March 10, 2018, has been released from the hospital and booked into jail.

Abel Manuel Lopez, age 27, was the driver of a vehicle on Saturday morning when an officer attempted to pull him over for expired registration. Lopez did not stop and sped away from the officer. The officer did not pursue, but the Mesa Police Air Unit was able to follow the vehicle and update its location to ground officers. The vehicle ultimately stopped at 226 N. Hobson, where Lopez exited the car and ran through the complex.

The first arriving officer gave chase and cornered Lopez in a stairwell. When the officer started giving verbal commands for Lopez to come out, he instead pulled a handgun and pointed it the officer.  Due to the threat of being shot, the officer fired his duty weapon at Lopez.  Lopez still did not comply and fired several rounds at the officer. The officer again called for Lopez to comply and surrender.  Instead, Lopez leaned from behind the stairwell and pointed his gun at the officer. Again, due to the threat, the officer fired one more round at Lopez, who then complained that he was injured.

Continuing to be defiant, Lopez threw his gun in the direction of the officer and remained concealed in the stairwell. Refusing to come out, a police K9 was deployed and he bit, allowing the officers to take Lopez into custody. Lopez was transported to the hospital for a gunshot wound and dog bite injuries. Once the scene was secure, the gun thrown by Lopez was examined.  It appears he threw the gun because it was jammed and would no longer fire.

Fortunately, no officers or other residents of the complex were injured in the exchange of gunfire.  This is another example of the dangers of police work. We often here the phrase "routine traffic stop."  This incident started as a traffic stop that turned out to be anything but "routine."

Lopez has been booked for:
3 counts of Aggravated Assault with deadly weapon, a class 2 felony.
1 count of Aggravated Assault on a Law Enforcement officer, a class 2 felony.
1 count of Possession of a weapon for Prohibited Possessor, a class 4 felony.
1 count of Unlawful Flight from Law Enforcement, a class 5 felony.
1 count of Resisting Arrest, a class 1 misdemeanor.

Abel Manuel Lopez