GLENDALE, Ariz. — A car reported stolen out of Mesa was involved in a police pursuit Thursday that ended in a crash in Glendale, officials said.
The situation began at about 2 p.m. after the Mesa Police Department was notified that a stolen vehicle was seen near Main Street and Country Club Drive.
Officers observed three people enter the vehicle and drive away. Officers attempted to stop the vehicle but the car continued driving, eventually ending up on the freeway.
Other law enforcement agencies got involved to help locate the stolen vehicle as it continued heading west. State troopers tried using a grappler device to stop the vehicle but were not successful.
The pursuit ended after the car exited the Loop 101 freeway and rear-ended another car on 59th Avenue. Three people inside the vehicle were detained by police.
No injuries were reported for the people involved, police said. The incident remains under investigation.
UP TO SPEED
How big is Maricopa County?
Maricopa County is the United States’ 4th largest county in terms of population with 4,485,414 people, according to the 2020 Census.
The county contains around 63% of Arizona’s population and is 9,224 square miles. That makes the county larger than seven U.S. states (Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey, Massachusetts and New Hampshire).
One of the largest park systems in the nation is also located in Maricopa County. The county has an estimated 120,000 acres of open space parks that includes hundreds of miles of trails, nature centers and campgrounds.
The county’s seat is located in Phoenix, which is also the state capital and the census-designated 5th most populous city in the United States.
The county was named after the Maricopa, or Piipaash, Native American Tribe.