By Joseph Altman Jr.
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Police arrested a 15-year-old boy Thursday night after the stolen mini-van he was driving slammed into a concrete wall. Police later alleged that the youth had burglarized his neighbor's home earlier the same evening.
An officer was driving westbound on East Sixth Street near North Highland Avenue when he observed a maroon Ford Astro travelling eastbound on Sixth, weaving in traffic.
The officer followed the van as it turned on Highland and picked up speed, reportedly reaching up to 60 mph. The van turned westbound onto East Fourth Street where it attempted to turn right onto North Park Avenue. However, the van was travelling too fast, crossed Park, and slammed into a concrete wall on the east side of Kaibab-Huachuca Hall, 922 E. Fourth St.
Two people exited the vehicle and complied with officer's requests to kneel on the ground with their hands up. The driver of the vehicle, however, fled to the residence hall's north courtyard.
Police set up a perimeter around the area, and Tucson Police Department canine and helicopter units assisted in searching for the suspect.
Minutes later, a Kaibab-Huachuca resident told officers he heard noises coming from bushes on the north side of the building. The TPD canine unit found the suspect and he was arrested.
While questioning the suspect, the youth said he went into his neighbor's house, in the 2600 block of West Vereda de Gente, through a window to get a cassette tape that belonged to him. He then saw the keys to the mini-van and took the vehicle, since the neighbors were in California for Thanksgiving.
Police searched the boy and found a silver smoking pipe that smelled like burnt marijuana. The boy admitted to using the pipe to smoke marijuana the day before. Police also found a gold colored ring, link bracelet and rope necklace, which the boy said he took from the house but was planning to return.
The Pima County Sheriff's Office investigated the burglary and found evidence of forced entry through the window.
University police arrested the boy for first degree burglary, motor vehicle theft, possession of drug paraphernalia, leaving the scene of an accident, and minor in possession of alcohol. He was taken to Pima County Juvenile Detention Center.
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Police were flagged down by a bicyclist Saturday night after the cyclist was reportedly struck in the left shoulder by an unknown object.
The cyclist told police the object came from an "older model red pickup truck" at North First Avenue and East University Boulevard.
Another officer found a vehicle matching the description and questioned the occupants. Officers found a BB gun and BB's in the truck, but the occupants said they had just bought the gun and were taking it home.
The cyclist was asked to identify the vehicle and the occupants, but he could not positively identify the truck or the shooter.
The three men in the truck were released. However, the driver was cited for driving on a suspended license.
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About $420 worth of stereo equipment was taken from a Toyota pickup truck parked in the Administration Parking Garage, 1340 E. Second St., Saturday night.
The owner of the vehicle flagged down a patrolling officer and reported the theft of his Sony compact disk player, Jensen 6-inch by 9-inch speakers, CD cases and three CDs between 9:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.
There was no evidence of forced entry. The owner said someone may have entered the vehicle through the rear window, which does not lock.
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A student's $700 bicycle was stolen from the south side of Navajo Residence Hall, 1511 E. Sixth St., sometime last week.
The student reported he used a U-lock to secure his Cannondale M-500 mountain bike to a rack on the south side of the hall at 5 p.m. Nov. 16. When he returned at 2 p.m. Nov. 19, the bike and lock were gone. However, the theft was not reported until Wednesday.
Police Beat is compiled from official University of Arizona Police Department reports.