Cop Shop

A man suspected of trying to break into an east Mesa sandwich shop early Monday was apprehended by a police dog soon after.
The unidentified suspect was caught in the backyard of a home in the 5200 block of East Florian Avenue. After medical treatment for puncture wounds to the back of his neck, courtesy of K-9 officer Jake, the man was booked for burglary and residential trespass.
Police said shortly before 3:45 a.m., officers were dispatched to the Subway 1121 S. Higley Road to investigate a burglar alarm indicating a glass break. A police detective on his way home also saw a subject breaking a window to the business.
The suspect ran north to a silver Jeep Liberty parked on Southern Avenue and attempted to enter on he passenger side. But the door would not open, so the suspect ran north into a residential neighborhood with the detective following.
The Jeep fled the area and was not located.
After a perimeter was established, Jake found the suspect hiding in a bush.

Mesa police believe a drive-by shooting that damaged a car and home, nearly striking the resident, may have been gang-related retaliation.
No one was hurt in Sunday night’s incident in the 7100 block of East Arbor Avenue, near Main Street and Power Road. The shooter could not be located.
Police said the scene of the shooting is a known gang-affiliated house, and there has been an on-going dispute between the victim and a member of the Jefferson Park Gangsters. The victim is under house arrest for a shooting involving a JPG member.
Rounds from what appear to be a shotgun damaged the victim’s car, parked in the driveway, and entered the residence.

Mesa police are looking for a 16-year-old runaway.
Ivette Gaytan did not show up at Dobson High School on Monday morning. She is described as Hispanic, 5 feet tall, weighing 116 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes.
Ivette’s mother told authorities her daughter had fled their home late Saturday night, leaving behind a suicide note, after they had argued. When Ivette left, she was wearing a tan hooded sweatshirt, blue pajama bottoms and slippers.
Anyone with information about Ivette’s whereabouts is encouraged to call Mesa police at (480) 644-2211 or their local authorities.

Two armed robbers took cash from a convenience store Sunday night.
A store clerk at 6807 E. Broadway Road told police two robbers came in about 9 p.m. They were wearing black clothing over their heads and faces. One demanded the clerk give them money, police said.
One of the robbers removed an undisclosed amount of cash from the register, and then demanded the victim’s cell phone and the business’s telephone.
No surveillance video is available at this time, police said.

A man’s car was stolen by an armed robber on Saturday.
The victim told police he was getting into his vehicle near a Motel 6 at 620 W. Main St. about 5 p.m. when a man walked up to him and told him to get out
Police are looking for a light-skinned, Hispanic male in his 30s, about 5 feet 8 inches tall, and weighing about 220 pounds. He was wearing a red T-shirt and gray jeans, and black hair in a crew cut. Accompanying the man was a Hispanic female in her 30s with long hair.
The victim was not hurt.
The investigation is ongoing.

A Mesa bank was robbed on Friday.
Police said a man and woman entered a Wells Fargo branch at 1954 E. McKellips Road round 1:15 p.m., and then presented a demand note.
After obtaining an undetermined amount of money, they fled on a motorcycle, witnesses said.
There is no further investigation, police said, and the investigation is ongoing.

Unknown assailants stabbed a Mesa resident early Thursday.
The 49-year-old victim was taken to Scottsdale Osborn Healthcare hospital; his injuries were not considered life-threatening.
No further information was available about the victim’s condition or identity, or the attackers.
According to police, a woman said she went to the victim’s apartment, in the 600 block of West First Avenue, around 1 a.m. to deliver some food.
She went to the bathroom, and that’s when she heard a commotion at the apartment’s front door and three unknown male voices arguing with the victim.
When the witness came out of the bathroom, she found the victim, suffering from stab wounds, in a pool of blood.