The exploding propane tank caused a massive fire that damaged a Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office patrol SUV, Prescott Police say.
The suspect, 70-year-old James Crespo, is facing multiple felony charges in connection to the incident, AZ Family reports.
The incident began around 4 p.m. when the Yavapai County SO asked Prescott Police for assistance in apprehending Crespo, who was believed to be in the area. He was wanted for a felony warrant out of Maricopa County for weapons misconduct and believed to be armed.
Crespo was spotted by law enforcement officers who tried to pull him over, but he refused to stop.
Police say Crespo stopped his car as he approached the spike strips, lit a blowtorch he was holding out of the driver’s side window, then continued driving.
He was pursued to a residential area near where he reportedly rammed a Prescott PD patrol vehicle. Yavapai County deputies then used their vehicles to box in the car, preventing Crespo from driving away.
That’s when the suspect reportedly detonated one of the propane tanks, and his vehicle became engulfed in flames.
“After, several other tanks continued to blow up, and the fire began to spread. Deputies began to use verbal de-escalation techniques to get the suspect to crawl to the edge of the flames. The threat to law enforcement and the public began to grow as the flames spread closer to homes. The suspect ended up crawling away from the flames and deputies were able to take him into custody,” the Yavapai County SO reports on Facebook .