Mesa Police Continuously Working to Enhancing Trust

The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), the world’s largest and most influential professional association for police leaders, has an initiative called the Trust Building Campaign. Law enforcement agencies everywhere are encouraged to participate in the campaign. To join the Trust Building Campaign, law enforcement agencies must pledge to implement 25 key policies and leading practices within a 36-month period. The Mesa Police Department is pleased to announce that prior to even learning about the IACP’s initiative, the department had already completed all 25 key policies and leading practices as part of our ongoing commitment to the community we serve.

"Joining the Trust Building Campaign was a clear choice for us at the Mesa Police Department,” says Chief Ken Cost. “By standing behind this pledge, we are demonstrating our continued commitment to transparency, accountability, and open communication, which are essential to building and maintaining the public's trust.”

By proactively completing the Trust Building Campaign Pledge requirements, the Mesa Police Department established policies and trainings, conducted assessments, and developed strategies within six focus areas (Bias-Free Policing; Use of Force; Leadership and Culture; Recruitment, Hiring, and Retention; Victim Services; and Community Relations) designed to encourage positive community-police partnerships that promote safe, effective interactions, create strategies to prevent and reduce crime, and improve the wellbeing and quality of life for all.

For more information about the Trust Building Campaign, visit the IACP’s website at:

https://www.theiacp.org/iacp-trust-building-campaign

Las Sendas Food Truck Friday's

Two Arrested for Arson, Class 2 Felony

On June 13, 2024, around 9:30 PM, officers responded to a “shots fired” call. The caller reported receiving an alert from his front door camera about someone outside. As he approached the door, he heard BANG! The glass of his front door shattered right in front of him, scathing his forehead, and extensive damage to the front of the home remained.

Front Entryway Damage

Overhead Entryway Damage

Front Door Damage

Officers learned that what they originally thought was a gunshot, was actually a firework. It was thrown against the house by suspects who fled the area.

Using neighborhood surveillance videos, in conjunction with police databases, officers were able to identify and arrest Daniel J. Traynor, age 18, and Eliyzar R. Frias, age 19.

Both were booked into jail on June 19, 2024 for the following charges:

· Arson of an Occupied Structure, Class 2 Felony

· Aggravated Assault, Class 3 Felony

· Criminal Damage, Class 6 Felony

Daniel Traynor

Eliyzar Frias

Fireworks can be fun and we want everyone to enjoy the upcoming holiday, safely! Mesa police officers will be out and about enforcing firework laws and arresting anyone who violates them. 

For more information on when fireworks can be used, which fireworks are legal, and how to report illegal firework activity, click HERE

3 Men Arrested for Illegal Fireworks for Sale

With the Fourth of July right around the corner, Mesa police officers are getting in front of illegal firework possession and sales. Just yesterday, on June 8, 2024, officers pulled over a vehicle with a suspended license plate. While speaking to the driver, 22-year-old Nicholas Ruiz, and passenger, 47-year-old Carlos Barron, officers saw boxes of illegal fireworks in the vehicle.

Illegal Fireworks

Illegal Fireworks

Officers learned that Ruiz bought the fireworks in New Mexico and he and Barron had hopes of selling them for profit in Mesa. Officers seized over 50 suspected high explosive devices and booked both men into jail for possession of illegal fireworks and illegal fireworks for sale.

Nicholas Ruiz

Carlos Barron

Just hours after the first stop, Mesa police officers stopped another vehicle for displaying plates not valid for highway use. Officers saw boxes of illegal fireworks in the bed of the truck.

Illegal Fireworks

Illegal Fireworks

While speaking to the driver, 27-year-old Ivan Mejia, officers learned that he bought the fireworks in Nevada and was selling them to people through on line resources. Officers seized over 20 suspected high explosive devices and booked Mejia into jail for possession of illegal fireworks and illegal fireworks for sale.

Ivan Mejia

Fireworks can be fun and we want everyone to enjoy the upcoming holiday, safely! Mesa police officers will be out and about enforcing firework laws and arresting anyone who violates them. 

For more information on when fireworks can be used, which fireworks are legal, and how to report illegal firework activity, click HERE

Criminal Damage Suspect Arrested

Business owners and employees in downtown Mesa were stunned the morning of May 17, 2024, when they arrived to find their glass windows broken. Eight businesses all experienced the same fate as a man walked the street throwing large rocks through their windows as he passed. Luckily for police, the man was caught on surveillance video and several officers identified him quickly as 38-year-old, Brian Galvez.

Although not every act of criminal damage was caught on video, officers were able to use video evidence from the downtown area to put together Galvez’s path of destruction, which left over $9,500 worth of damage to the following businesses:

il Vinaio

Meat Market Vintage Goods

Department of Child Services

Milano Music Center

Walston Law Group

Mesa Public Library

Hello Sugar

The Azura Veterans Coalition

Meat Market Vintage Goods

The Azura Veterans Coalition

Evidence photo

Rock used to break window

Galvez was located on May 20, 2024, near Country Club Dr and Main St as investigators were obtaining more video evidence from il Vinaio and saw him sitting in the corner of the store. He was arrested and booked into jail for eight counts of criminal damage, seven of those being a felony because the damage was over $1,000. Galvez is currently being held on a $10,000 bond.

If you are a business owner or employee of an establishment in the downtown area and had window damage during the late hours of May 16, 2024, into the early morning hours of May 17, 2024, please call the Mesa Police Department at 480-644-2211 to report the incident, it is not too late. 

Brian Galvez Mug Shot

Mesa PD Needs Help Identifying Attempted Sexual Assault Suspect

 

News Release

The Mesa Police Department is investigating an attempted sexual assault of a minor that occurred over the weekend and is asking for the public’s help in identifying the suspect. 

 

On February 3, 2024, just before 9:00 p.m., Mesa Police Officers responded to an apartment in the 300 block of N. 75th Street for an attempted sexual assault on a minor. The suspect had already left the area on foot and officers were unable to locate him. He is being described as a black male between the ages of 25–40 years old, standing 5ft 10in tall with a medium build. The suspect has a goatee style beard that is longer and thicker on the chin and dark spiky hair. He was last seen wearing a black hoodie with a white logo and dark pants. 

Composite Sketch of Suspect

 

The Mesa Police Department in conjunction with the Mesa Crime Lab have been working diligently on this case since Saturday night, canvassing the neighborhood and expediting forensic evidence, hoping for a break in the case. 

 

We need your help. If you have any information or think you may know who the suspect is, please call the Mesa Police Department at 480-644–2211. 

 

To our community, remember to lock all doors and windows. Turn on your residential outdoor lights. Stay vigilant, and if you see anything suspicious, call 911. 

 

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Carjacking Suspects Arrested

What should have been a simple transaction turned into much more for a mother and her seven-year-old daughter on a Wednesday afternoon in Mesa. After listing her car for sale on OfferUp, she met with a potential buyer at Wells Fargo Bank, located near Stapley and McKellips. While speaking to the buyer about the vehicle and sale price, she came face to face with a career criminal who pointed a gun at her and demanded she give him the vehicle.

The woman ran with her daughter, trying to escape what she thought was going to be the end of her life. Her daughter fell in the parking lot, scraping her knee in the process. Finally, they gained safety in the Wells Fargo Bank, just as the red 2021 Dodge Charger drove out of the parking lot with the gunman and potential buyer in the car.

Stolen Vehicle

The woman told Mesa police officers she had never seen the gunman or buyer before today, but did have the phone number that was used to inquire about the vehicle. The phone number belonged to 29-year-old Joseph Toledo. Officers obtained a location for the phone and responded to Banner Deer Valley Hospital, where they found the stolen vehicle unoccupied.

Using police databases, officers identified several addresses that Joseph Toledo might frequent throughout Phoenix. While stopping by each one, Toledo was eventually located traveling as a passenger in a vehicle. The Phoenix Police Department’s air support team assisted in following Toledo to the Arizona Department of Corrections Rehabilitation & Reentry, where they finally found Toledo… checking in with his Parole Officer.

And the potential buyer from earlier? Officers found her in the driver’s seat of a vehicle parked outside and waiting for Toledo. She was identified as 23-year-old Iridiane Garcia. Garcia told officers the keys to the stolen vehicle were in her purse, right along with the gun Toledo used against the victim.

Both Toledo and Garcia were booked into jail for multiple felony charges to include Armed Robbery and Theft of Means of Transportation.

Iridiane Garcia

Joseph Toledo

ORGANIZED RETAIL THEFT SUSPECT ARRESTED: Responsible for nearly $2 million loss at Home Depot

Mesa police officers arrested 39-year-old Juan Ambriz-Rincon after he spent more than a year stealing from The Home Depot stores across the valley and creating a total loss of no less than $46,000 just in Arizona. Ambriz-Rincon is also the suspect in Organized Retail Thefts in Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma, where The Home Depot investigators have documented more than $900,000 worth of product loss, with an estimation closer to $2,000,000 over the last three years.

With the help of The Home Depot investigators, video evidence, and transaction receipts, officers were able to positively identify Ambriz-Rincon in 14 different thefts from the retail store between October 10, 2022- October 16, 2023. The thefts occurred through Mesa, Phoenix, Chandler, Tempe, and Avondale.

Utilizing the self-checkout option, Ambriz-Rincon paid for a few items in his possession but failed to pay for the high dollar items in his cart. He would then return the stolen items for money or sell them to customers through social media in various states. Ambriz-Rincon also thwarted employees by presenting fake receipts at check out and telling them the items were already paid for before walking out with the stolen merchandise.

In one incident, Ambriz-Rincon was stopped by Asset Protection just outside The Home Depot. He had presented an invalid will call order at the register. The store was able to recover 20 units of unpaid shingles, but Ambriz-Rincon fled the scene before police arrived.

Officers were able to obtain search warrants for Ambriz-Rincon’s vehicles, storage units, and motel room, leading them to recover additional stolen items and further evidence of his crimes.

“Organized Retail Crime continues to impact The Home Depot. Public and private collaboration like our investigators have with The Mesa Police Department are a key component of combating these crimes. We appreciate Mesa PD’s partnership in helping keep our customers and employees safe.” -Sean Browne, Sr Manager, Organized Retail Crime at The Home Depot.

Juan Ambriz-Rincon was booked into jail for the following charges:

ARS 13-2310- Fraudulent Schemes, a class 2 felony

ARS 13-2307B- Trafficking Stolen Property, a class 2 felony

ARS 13-1802A1 (14 counts)- Theft over $25,000, a class 2 felony

ARS 13-1819A1 (14 counts)- Organized Retail Theft, a class 4 felony

ARS 13-3407A1- Possession of Dangerous Drugs, a class 4 felony

Juan Ambriz-Rincon

MESA PD ARREST THREE FOR VIOLENT CRIME SPREE

Mesa police officers arrested three suspects in connection with a violent crime spree that occurred on the evening of August 11, 2023. 18-year-old Isaiah Ortiz and two other suspects, under the age of eighteen, were booked into jail for various felony charges to include assisting a criminal street gang. It all happened within a few minutes as the three suspects managed to victimize 8 people, while traveling in a vehicle, and using a firearm. 

At 5:41pm, Mesa Police Officers responded to a shots fired call in the 1500 block of south Pima. Officers found multiple shell casings on the ground and a car with a bullet strike on its frame. The suspect vehicle was described as a black Kia Optima.

Bullet strike in victim vehicle

At 5:44pm, the Mesa Police Department’s Real Time Crime Center alerted officers to Guerrero Rotary Park, where they saw three suspects get out of a black Kia and approach two people in the park. One suspect, now known to be Ortiz, used a handgun to rob the victims.  

At 5:45pm, just south of the park, a victim reported Ortiz pointed a gun at him and tried to rob him. As the vehicle drove away, the victim and a witness reported hearing shots fired.

Shortly after, another victim told officers that one of the juvenile suspects asked him for money and when he didn’t give him any, Ortiz put a gun to his neck and asked if he wanted to die.

The spree continued with two more victims telling officers that the black Kia drove left of center and toward them while Oritz pointed a gun at them.

Mesa police officers located the Kia and attempted to stop the car by activating their patrol car lights and sirens, but the vehicle refused to pull over and fled the scene. Ultimately, the vehicle became disabled after colliding with another vehicle while turning in the roadway. 

Suspect vehicle

All three suspects ran from the vehicle in three different directions, but amazingly, officers were able to apprehend all three. Ortiz was found to have a self-inflicted gunshot wound and required transportation to the hospital, he was also in possession of a firearm. It was unclear when Ortiz received the injury.

Multiple victims and witnesses identified the three suspects on scene as those who committed the crimes.

Both juvenile suspects were booked into Durango Juvenile Holding Facility.

On August 13, 2023, Isaiah Ortiz was released from the hospital and booked into jail, where he remains on a $150,000 bond. He was booked for the following charges.

·        5 counts- ARS 13-1904.A2- Armed Robbery, a class two felony

·        5 counts- ARS 13-1204.A2- Aggravated Assault, a class three felony

·        ARS 28-622.01- Unlawful Flight from Law Enforcement, a class five felony

·        ARS 13-2321.B- Assisting a Criminal Street Gang, a class three felony

·        ARS 13-1209A- Drive by Shooting, a class two felony

·        ARS 13-3107A- Unlawful Discharge of Firearm

Isaiah Ortiz Mug Shot

Three Suspects Arrested in Violent Armed Robbery

On 07/26/2023 just before 2:00am, The Mesa Police Department arrested 23-year-old Michael Jackson, 22-year-old Tyshaun Pruitt, and a 17-year-old juvenile for an armed robbery that occurred in the 2100 block of West Broadway. All three were booked into jail.

The situation started when our victim went to an ATM to take out some cash not knowing that the suspects were watching the ATM, possibly trying to identify potential victims. It appears the victim was followed by the suspects to his apartment and as he walked to his front door, three men jumped out with guns and demanded his money, valuables, and car keys. The victim said that one of the suspects had an assault rifle that was pointed at his head. After robbing the victim at gunpoint, the suspects fled and stole his vehicle in the process. Officers arrived, spoke to the victim, and found that the victims’ vehicle was equipped with a tracking device. When the tracking was turned on, the vehicle was showing in Phoenix. Officers from several surrounding agencies responded to the area. With the assistance of the Mesa Police Air Unit, the victim’s vehicle was found exiting an apartment complex on the Phoenix and Tempe border. As officers moved into the area, the victim’s vehicle was disabled. The three suspects bailed out of the car and ran west on foot. All three were caught a short time later.

All three suspects refused to speak to police. Items belonging to the suspects were found in and around the victim’s vehicle. All three were booked for armed robbery ARS 13-1904A1, a class 2 felony.

This is a reminder to be vigilant whenever you are taking cash out of ATM’s or banks. Keep an eye on your surroundings and if you see something that stands out, don’t hesitate to call the police. 

We would like to thank Arizona DPS, Tempe Police, and Phoenix Police for assisting us in locating and arresting the suspects in this case.

Jackson booking photo

Pruitt booking photo

Suspect Arrested After Starting Fires in Mesa Target

On June 27, 2023, just before 10:00 p.m., Mesa Police Officers responded to reports of a fire inside a Target store located at 1230 S. Longmore. Officers ran inside the store with a fire extinguisher, yelling to make sure no one else was inside, but soon realized the store had filled with too much smoke and had to exit.

Smoke in Target

Mesa Fire Department arrived and extinguished the fire. In a joint investigation with Mesa Fire, officers learned that two separate fires were started inside the store: one in the baby diaper aisle and the other, a piece of clothing on the floor.   

Diaper Aisle

Burned Shirt

Target reported the amount of damage caused by the fire was upwards of $5,000,000 as toxic smoke had contacted all the merchandise inside the store in addition to fire suppression sprinklers flooding the area.

Officers gathered video surveillance from Target and watched as an adult man walked through the store, placing items into a shopping cart. This man picks up a shirt resembling the one that was set on fire. He hastily moves from the area, toward electronics as smoke is starting to invade the store. The man watches the fire grow and then attempts to break into a case of cell phones with a hammer but is unsuccessful.

The man is one of the last to leave the store and when he does, he takes several items of stolen merchandise with him and flees in a black sedan.

Officers obtained a license plate from surveillance video and eventually identified a suspect, 31-year-old Daniel Hull.  As luck would have it, officers wouldn’t have to look far to find Hull, he was sitting in Mesa Police custody from an unrelated arrest earlier in the day.

Hull was interviewed by officers and admitted to starting the fires.

Daniel Hull was booked into jail for the following charges related to this case:

ARS 13-1704A; Arson of an occupied structure, a class 2 felony

ARS 13-1201A; Endangerment, a class 6 felony

ARS 13-1805I; Shoplift Artifice, a class 4 felony

ARS 13-1602A1; Criminal Damage over $5,000,000, a class 4 felony

Daniel Hull Mug Shot