Breakup led to barricade situation on Phoenix area freeway, officials say | Crime Files

MESA, Ariz. - We are learning more about what happened during a barricade situation on US-60 that resulted in the East Valley freeway's closure for some time on March 8.

The suspect, according to court documents we obtained on March 27, is being accused of committing multiple criminal offenses.

Here are the details.

Who's the suspect?

Court documents identified the suspect as 33-year-old Christopher Williams.

Officials say Williams has been in Arizona for a short time, and had lived in Tennessee and Utah prior to living in Arizona. Officials also say there is an arrest warrant for Williams in Utah.

What is he accused of doing?

Screenshot taken from a SkyFOX video showing the scene of the incident.

The incident, as mentioned above, happened on March 8.

At around 6:47 p.m., investigators say a call was made to DPS regarding what was described as "a blocking collision with unknown injuries." The crash happened near US-60 and Val Vista Drive.

"While responding troopers were dealing with the first collision, they received calls of a second collision with an aggressive male with a knife sitting in the driver's seat of a Chevrolet Malibu. The male refused to exit the vehicle with troopers on the scene," read a portion of the court documents.

Investigators say force was utilized at the scene, including less-lethal rounds, taser, and physical force, to remove Williams from the vehicle. Both Williams and a female passenger onboard were taken to the hospital. The female passenger was identified as Williams' girlfriend.

What led to the barricade?

According to court documents, Williams' girlfriend had broken up with him prior to the crash.

Troopers at the scene learned that as Williams was driving, he and the female passenger onboard had an argument over "comments Williams made to a younger female child in the residence."

The woman, officials say, agreed to go with Williams to get a paycheck from work, and took a nap as Williams drove. She eventually woke up and discovered that they were driving on US-60. Investigators say she did not like how far they were from the kids at the home.

"She attempted to call her father, but Williams grabbed her phone out of her hand and threw it out the window. She stated after throwing the phone he unbuckled her seatbelt and held his hand over the buckle not allowing her to buckle the seat belt," read a portion of the court documents. "She stated Williams grabbed her by the back of the neck/head, pushed her face forward towards the windshield, and appeared to aim for the back of two trucks. She stated she believed he was attempting to kill her and himself. She stated she was in fear for her life."

Investigators say the car Williams was driving hit a white GMC truck, in addition to a second involving a separate GMC truck. The white truck was occupied by two adults and a minor at the time of the crash.

"The impact caused the white GMC to lose control briefly, eventually stopping off right," investigators wrote.

What is the suspect accused of?

Williams, according to court documents, is accused of four counts of aggravated assault (A.R.S. 13-1204A), a count of attempted 2nd degree murder (A.R.S. 13-1104A), and four counts of endangerment (A.R.S. 13-1201A). All are felonies.

A judge has set a $100,000 secured appearance bond for Williams, and should he make bond, he will be required to subject himself to electronic monitoring, as well as a number of other restrictions, including a ban on initiating contact with the alleged victims.

Meanwhile, a preliminary hearing has been scheduled for Williams on April 4.