Law enforcement officers in Arizona shot and killed a Yucca Valley man who led authorities on a lengthy pursuit that began in San Bernardino County, officials said Saturday.
According to the Arizona Department of Public Safety, 26-year-old Christian Albarran was shot Thursday after he made a “rapid and furtive movement indicating a lethal threat” to state troopers and a deputy.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said officers familiar with Albarran’s two outstanding felony warrants for domestic violence and identity theft had tried to conduct a traffic stop on Albarran just before 11 a.m. near Dumosa Avenue and Yucca Trail in Yucca Valley. The agency said a concerned citizen told officers earlier that day that Albarran was armed.
The 26-year-old continued driving in a white 2006 Ford Focus about 35 miles through Yucca Valley, Morongo Valley and Desert Hot Springs before traveling onto the eastbound 10 Freeway, the Sheriff’s Department said. The deputies said they chased Albarran before the California Highway Patrol took over the pursuit in the area of the 10 Freeway and Bob Hope Drive.
The CHP then terminated its pursuit when the man crossed into La Paz County, Arizona, the Sheriff’s Department added.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety said the CHP sent out an alert about Albarran, who was suspected to be dangerous and armed with a handgun.
“Based on the fact the suspect vehicle was registered to an address in Quartzsite, AZ, CHP personnel believed that may be the suspect’s destination,” a statement from Arizona officials said. “As a result of information provided by CHP, Arizona troopers began to stage eastbound on I-10, near the California state line.”
State troopers and a La Paz County Sheriff’s deputy spotted the vehicle around 2:15 p.m. exiting the eastbound 10 Freeway at Ehrenberg Road, officials said.
The troopers said they tried to talk to Albarran, but he refused to follow repeated commands. Officers fatally shot the man while ordering him to keep his hands visible, according to the Arizona Department of Public Safety.
Agency spokesman Bart Graves told the Associated Press that he could not provide further details, including whether or not officers found a gun in the Albarran’s vehicle.
The incident remained under investigation.
