Latest news with #GoodyearPoliceDepartment
Miami Herald
7 days ago
- Automotive
- Miami Herald
Driver in blazing car honks for help. Watch as Arizona cop ‘sprang into action'
A driver in Arizona was trapped in a car fully engulfed in flames following a car crash when she began honking for help. Then a police officer 'sprang into action,' according to a May 28 Facebook post by the Goodyear Police Department. On May 25, after running over to the driver's side of the car, officer Dakota Berry 'realized someone was still alive in the vehicle,' he said in a news conference by the police department. That's when he smashed through the driver's side window to pull out the woman as her hair was on fire, the police department said. He used a fire extinguisher to put out the rest of the blaze, and the woman was transported to a local burn center and is expected to survive, police said. Berry said he sustained hand injuries during the rescue. In an 'incredible twist of fate' the woman he rescued turned out to be a Goodyear firefighter's daughter, police said. 'As ironic as that is, I obviously would've done the same thing for anyone else,' Berry said. ' ... I wish prayers for her and her family and for a speedy recovery.' A video accompanying the Facebook post shows Berry rushing to the burning car as the horn repeatedly goes off and he's heard yelling for the woman to 'get out.' This marked Berry's first rescue of this magnitude, he said at the news conference. 'Simply just doing my job,' he said. Goodyear is about a 20-mile drive west from Phoenix.
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Yahoo
Veteran accused of threatening West Valley mosque, blames his actions on war movie
A veteran was booked with making terrorist threats and disorderly conduct after threatening to harm and kill members of the Muslim community. According to court documents, around 12:30 a.m. on March 24, Avondale police responded to a welfare check at the West Valley Islamic Center after a man requested help, saying he needed to be "talked down." When officers arrived, they found 37-year-old Michael Hanson in the center's parking lot. Hanson told police he had been watching American Sniper, a film depicting a soldier's experience in the Iraq War, and decided to search for the nearest Muslim place of worship. The court documents added that officers observed Hanson slurring his speech and "having an odor of an intoxicating beverage emitting from his breath and person." Officers deemed Hanson unfit to drive and called a Lyft service to take him home. Court documents stated that while Hanson and the officers waited for the Lyft, Hanson indicated to officers he was going to bomb the West Valley Islamic Center and claimed he was there as a "show of force." Hanson was then observed heckling worshipers before being picked up by the Lyft. About half an hour later, officers discovered Hanson back in the parking lot of the West Valley Islamic Center, attempting to hide behind a dumpster. According to court documents, Hanson told officers he was 'trying to pull a fast one' on them. Around 3:00 a.m., officers transported him back to his home in Goodyear. Avondale Police Department detectives later learned from the Goodyear Police Department that Hanson had prior interactions with both their officers and the Veterans Affairs Hospital. They also confirmed that Hanson had served a nine-month deployment in Iraq. Hanson informed officers that he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health challenges. Court documents stated the movie "American Sniper" had triggered Hanson's PTSD, and he "could not snap out of that state of mind." During a review of Hanson's cellphone, officers uncovered evidence indicating his intent to harm worshipers at the West Valley Islamic Center and members of the Muslim community, according to court documents. The phone also contained text messages and search history reflecting Hanson's hatred toward the Muslim community and the Islamic faith. Court documents stated, "detectives conducted a review of the listed photographs on the listed cell phone device to which numerous images and video clips of the movie American Sniper were observed as well as a screen shot of the West Valley Islamic Center website." Hanson was arrested on March 27 after an involuntary stay in a mental health facility and was booked for making terrorist threats and disorderly conduct. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Thursday, April 24. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Veteran booked after making terrorist threats at a West Valley mosque
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Yahoo
Report on fatal crash involving a Goodyear police car says it's unclear if sirens were on
A newly released police report has said it's unclear whether a Goodyear police vehicle had its emergency sirens activated when a motorcyclist fatally crashed into it in October 2024. According to a report obtained by The Arizona Republic via a public records request, officers Scott Preston and Angel Pereida were responding to a report of an assault on Oct. 22, 2024 when 38-year-old Jacob Vela crashed his Harley Davidson FXST motorcycle into their Chevrolet Tahoe. The two officers were at the intersection of Fillmore Street and Estrella Parkway and attempting to make a left turn against a red light onto the latter when Vela, who was driving north on Estrella Parkway, suddenly braked, causing the motorcycle to skid onto its side. Documents say Vela, who was driving 60 mph in a 45 mph zone and wasn't wearing a helmet, separated from the motorcycle and laid partially underneath the Tahoe while the motorcycle crashed into the Tahoe's front left tire. Documents said a woman jumped out of her vehicle and immediately began performing CPR on Vela before he was taken to Abrazo West Trauma Center where he was pronounced dead. An autopsy by the Maricopa County medical examiner found Vela had suffered a dislocation at the top of his spine, multiple rib fractures and other internal injuries that contributed to his death. The agency listed Vela's manner of death as an accident. Preston, who was driving the Tahoe, suffered a broken finger from the collision and was treated at a hospital while Pereida was uninjured. The Goodyear Police Department posted a traffic alert on their Facebook page following the crash, letting the public know about traffic closures at the intersection. Some commented on the post criticizing the department, alleging it was hiding facts about the incident. While documents said the Tahoe had its emergency lights turned on, it was unclear whether the siren was activated as well. Documents show multiple witnesses told police they heard a loud 'bang' when the collision occurred but gave conflicting reports about whether they heard a siren. One man told police he saw the emergency lights and but no siren, which he said he would have noticed as he had his radio turned off, while a woman said she was sure she heard a siren as it was the reason she stopped her vehicle. Another woman told police she heard a siren, but described it as being two quick 'bleeps' rather than a long, sustained siren. The report states that the Tahoe's emergency lights can be seen in body-camera video of the incident, but no siren is audible. It also cites Arizona law, which states that authorized emergency vehicles can go through red lights and stop signs if they slow down 'as necessary for safe operation' and if the driver 'sounds an audible signal by bell, siren or exhaust whistle as reasonably necessary.' The report notes that, while Vela may have been speeding, it wasn't considered excessive under the law as it was less than 20 mph over the limit. It added that video evidence from nearby businesses that captured the crash showed Vela wouldn't have struck the Tahoe if he had been driving the speed limit as the Tahoe would have cleared the area where the collision occurred by the time Vela reached it. The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, which investigated the incident, recommended against submitting any criminal charges against Preston as it found the officer was acting in an official capacity and wasn't driving with a reckless disregard for safety when the fatal incident occurred. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Report: Goodyear crash video shows emergency lights, no audible siren
