2 arrested, 4 migrants in custody after high-speed Arizona chase

COCHISE COUNTY, Ariz. - Two men were arrested and four undocumented immigrants were taken into custody after a high speed chase in Arizona, according to the Cochise County Sheriff's Office.

Mesa resident Taylor Seth Johnson, 25, and Detroit resident Kanardje Watts, 21, face numerous charges including child abuse and aggravated assault on a police officer.

Cochise County deputies say it began when a car - driven by Johnson - refused to pull over on Highway 92 south of Sierra Vista on March 12. The car sped through Huachuca City and Whetstone, officials said.

With help from local law enforcement, deputies found the suspect vehicle on Highway 90.

"After getting behind it, the suspect vehicle turned into a residential area and drove directly at a Huachuca City Officer, nearly striking his patrol vehicle," officials said.

Johnson then reportedly started heading the wrong way down Highway 90 and nearly hit a Cochise County deputy's vehicle before making a U-turn and speeding away at 110 miles an hour.

Arizona Dept. of Public Safety troopers used tire deflation devices at a highway checkpoint to stop the car.

Deputies say Johnson ran over the devices and one of the front tires blew out, but the driver continued to head down the highway at speeds of more than 90 miles an hour on a now-disintegrated tire.

Eventually, the car stopped near milepost 303 and the driver and passenger ran away on foot into the desert. Both were caught.

Border Patrol agents reportedly discovered four undocumented immigrants in the vehicle, including an 8- and 10-year-old child. All were taken into custody.

Taylor Johnson, the driver, and Kanardje Watts, a passenger, were booked into Cochise County Jail and face charges including felony flight, endangerment, child abuse and aggravated assault on a police officer.