Officer Christopher Farrar of the Chandler (AZ) Police Department was struck and killed by a suspect driving a stolen vehicle on Thursday night. (Photo: Chandler PD)
A Chandler, AZ, police officer was killed and a Gilbert police officer was critically injured during a vehicle pursuit Thursday night.
According to Chandler police, 50-year-old Officer Christopher Farrar was struck and killed by a suspect driving a stolen vehicle on Thursday night near the SanTan MotorPlex, AZFamily reports.
Gilbert police said the incident started in the Eloy area just after 10 p.m., when a Pinal County Sheriff's Office (PCSO) deputy pursued a vehicle. The deputy chased after the truck and the suspect started shooting at the PCSO vehicle.
The chase continued into Maricopa County, eventually into Chandler where the suspect drove into a gate at Chandler Regional Airport and onto the runway causing air traffic to stop. After leaving the airport, the suspect jumped out of his vehicle, ran into a car dealership, and stole a vehicle, police said.
Once in the stolen vehicle, the suspect reportedly struck Officer Farrar and a Gilbert police officer. Farrar later died at a Chandler hospital. The Gilbert officer, who has not been named, is in critical condition with a severe head injury.
The suspect was eventually taken into custody after three PCSO deputies and four DPS troopers fired at the suspect. The suspect, who has not been named, was transported to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
