Cop Shop

An armed robber on Tuesday got away with boxes of tile from a Mesa man who was in the middle of a home-improvement project. 

According to Mesa police, the homeowner in the 700 block of north Miller looked outside to see a man loading boxes of tiles he had stacked in his circular driveway into a car.

When the homeowner confronted the robber, he pulled a black semi-automatic pistol from his waistband and pointed it at the homeowner. 

The homeowner backed away and the man got into the passenger seat of the car, which drove away.

Tempe and ASU police will step up traffic enforcement this week around Metro light rail tracks and crossings.
According to a Tempe police press release, the enforcement comes this week as Arizona State University students – many of whom weren’t in town when the rail system became active last month - return to class.

Mesa police discovered a drop house for suspected illegal immigrants on Saturday.
According to a police report, Mesa police got a call of a fight at 639 S. Elm and that the home was a drop house and people were being held against their will.
A drop house is a location where illegal immigrants who have paid to be smuggled into the U.S. stage before the next leg of their trip to their final destination.
Often times, smuggling groups will hold the people against their will and demand more money for the trip.
People were running from the home as police arrived, but officers were able to find out that illegal immigrants were being held inside.
Police hostage negotiators were called in and they were able to talk the group into coming outside.
Twenty nine people were detained and turned over to agents with the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

An 18-year-old man died Tuesday in a head-on collision on Broadway Road in Mesa between Higley and Recker roads.
According to Mesa police, Joseph Poirier sped his Honda CRX west through the intersection of 56th Street and Broadway Road and collided with an eastbound Ford Expedition that was making a left turn into a private driveway.
The Honda then collided on the passenger side with a light pole.
The 30-year-old driver of the Expedition and her one-year-old passenger were not injured, police said.

A 33-year old man drove a car into a canal after trying to elude cops Monday, police said.
Michael Alfaro was booked on suspicion of aggravated assault on a police officer, burglary, and criminal damage.
According to Gilbert police, officers responded to a call of a vehicle burglary in progress at 3225 E. Baseline Road about 4:50 a.m.
Alfaro drove straight at police in an attempt to escape, police said.
Police chased him until he went into the canal east of Greenfield Road and Desert Lane.
No one was injured in the incident.

The Valley’s new light rail system saw its first reported collision Tuesday afternoon, when a car hit the train and sped off, according to Phoenix authorities.

Phoenix police reported that the incident was minor with little to no damage to the train and no reported injuries.

A car collided with the train at 2:15 p.m. near First Avenue and Jefferson Street, according to the report. Police did not know how many people were in the car at the time of the collision, but authorities said that the train was not taken out of service.

Police officer John Howard said there was no specific description of the vehicle because police received so many conflicting descriptions from witnesses.

Howard sad the train car received minor scuffs in the Valley’s first rail collision since the Metro celebrated its grand opening on Saturday, Dec. 27. He said the police were investigating the incident. No further information was available.

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An armed gunman got away with cash Monday from a Mesa fast-food restaurant.
According to Mesa police, the robber was described as a black male, 20 to 30 years old, between 5 feet, 7 inches and 5 feet, 8 inches, 170 to 180 pounds. He was wearing a black jacket with a hood and black cargo pants.
Police said the man walked into the Jack-in-the-Box at 1860 W. Southern Ave. about 6:40 p.m. and demanded cash.
He left on foot, police said.

An unshaven, scruffy-haired robber knocked over a Circle K Monday in Mesa.
According to Mesa police, the robber pulled a black semi-automatic handgun on the clerk at 4353 S. Southern Ave. about 11:08 p.m. He left in a silver or gray four-door passenger car with the money.
The robber is described as a white male, 28 to 40 years old and wearing a gray sweatshirt and black hat.