PHOENIX — Phoenix police said an arrest has been made after a suspect was involved in a standoff with police at a Valley business Monday afternoon.
Authorities revealed Tuesday that the suspect arrested in connection to the incident has been identified as 47-year-old Victor Bautista Navarrete.
Phoenix police attempted to get Navarrete to surrender after he allegedly climbed atop the roof of a local business and caused criminal damage.
Several police officers were positioned around the business near 35th Avenue and Thomas Road for most of Monday afternoon as they tried to negotiate with the suspect.
Police said the man had been on the roof of the business with a knife and allegedly set some items on fire. Officers evacuated the business and used less-lethal tools to subdue the man.
Navarrete was charged with eight counts including aggravated assault of an officer, arson of a structure and criminal trespass.
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What is the Valley?
“The Valley” is what locals call the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. It is considered the largest metropolitan area in the Southwest.
The Valley is made up of various major cities other than Phoenix, including:
Mesa
Chandler
Scottsdale
Tempe
Glendale
Surprise
Peoria
Gilbert
El Mirage
Avondale
Litchfield Park
Goodyear
Buckeye
Whether a city is in the “East Valley” or “West Valley” depends on where it is in relation to Phoenix.
The cities of the Valley have a combined population of 4,845,832 people, according to the 2020 United States Census. This makes it the 11th largest metropolitan area in the country right behind the Boston and Atlanta areas.
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.
