Armed suspect who sparked Mesa manhunt taken into custody: MCSO
MESA, Ariz. - The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office says an armed suspect that sparked a massive search near Hawes and McKellips in the East Valley has been arrested.
MCSO released a rather detailed sequence of events in a statement Thursday night. The incident started at around 6:00 a.m. on Feb. 1, when deputies responded to the area of Crismon Road and Apache Trail for reports of an armed robbery at a business in the area.
"A male and female suspect arrived on a golf cart armed with an ‘AR’ style rifle and broke into the occupied business. The male suspect shot multiple rounds into the business and then fled from the scene," MCSO Sergeant Joaquin Enriquez wrote.
The golf cart, investigators said, was confirmed to be stolen, and was later found in the area of 105th Place and University Drive.
Mesa manhunt suspect identified, booked into jail
Thomas Zavala, 40, is accused of stealing rifles and a golf cart from a home and robbing a bakery in Apache Junction at gunpoint. Zavala eventually crashed a stolen car near Haws and McKellips, setting off an hours-long search in nearby neighborhoods before he was arrested, the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office said.
"While processing the two scenes, a priority unknown trouble call for service came in near Crismon Road and University Drive. The unknown trouble was confirmed to be the same male suspect who attempted a home invasion and fired multiple rounds at the residence," read a portion of Sgt. Enriquez's statement.
Investigators said when MCSO deputies and Mesa Police officers saw the suspect, he took off running to a nearby wash area and then stole another car in an attempt to flee.
"[The suspect] later crashed into an unrelated vehicle, and wrecked the stolen vehicle he was driving near Hawes Road and McKellips Road. The suspect fled the scene on foot," Sgt. Enriquez wrote.
The suspect, who has been identified as Thomas Zavala, was later found in an area north of the crash scene, and subsequently taken into custody. Zavala is accused of committing several serious felony offenses.
Thomas Zavala was arrested in connection to a crime spree on Feb. 1 in Mesa.
"Zavala was interviewed by MCSO detectives and admitted to burglarizing a home in Mesa and stealing rifles and a golf cart," MCSO said in a statement on Friday. "In addition, Zavala admitted to going to the Holsum Bakery in Apache Junction, pointing the rifle at an employee, and demanding money, committing the armed robbery. These acts led to the manhunt that ended in his arrest."
MCSO says they are still investigating the woman's involvement in the incident.
No community members or law enforcement officers were hurt.
Schools placed on lockdown
In a separate statement, a spokesperson with Mesa Public Schools said three schools within the district – Taft Elementary, Smith Junior High and Zaharis Elementary – were all under lockdown at various times of the day.
"All of our students and staff are safe. Our schools followed our security plans. We are grateful for the assistance of district security and all of our local law enforcement partners," a part of the statement reads.
Meanwhile, people in the area have been on edge as a result of what happened.
"I was going out for an appointment, Mckellips is my usual route, and saw about five or six police SUVs, with the officers outside their car, and wasn’t sure what was going on, and looked a little bit more and saw them with the riffles drawn," said Lauren Rogenbuck.