Pinal County Sheriff's deputy shot in desert confrontation

Pinal County Sheriff's deputy shot in desert confrontation

by Dennis Wagner and Craig Harris - Apr. 30, 2010 07:47 PM
The Arizona Republic
Five Hispanic men authorities described as drug smugglers shot a Pinal County Sheriff's deputy Friday afternoon when the officer came upon them and a large amount of marijuana in a remote part of south-central Arizona.
The area where the shooting took place, near the intersection of Interstate 8 and Arizona 84, is considered a high-traffic drug- and human-smuggling corridor.

A massive hunt that included helicopters with night vision and more than 100 officers, including SWAT teams, were pursuing the shooters Friday evening. More than one helicopter came under fire as officers rescued Deputy Louie Puroll, who was shot with an AK-47-type weapon around 4 p.m., according to the sheriff's office.
Puroll sustained a flesh wound above his kidney that tore off a chunk of skin, but he was in good condition late Friday at Casa Grande Regional Medical Center.
"Our thoughts & prayers go out to the Pinal County Deputy shot during a stop," Gov. Jan Brewer sent out in a Twitter message on the Internet Friday evening. "Contrary to what some leaders say, our borders are not secure."
The shooting occurred exactly one week after Brewer signed the toughest anti-immigration law in the country. The legislation has been hotly debated, and it has put Arizona in the national spotlight over how a border state deals with rampant illegal immigration. The legislation has sparked protests and calls to boycott the Grand Canyon state.
Pinal County Lt. Tami Villar said Friday's incident "sends a very powerful and loud message that we have a problem."
Villar said Puroll, 53, was attacked about five miles south of Interstate 8 near its junction with Arizona 84. She said the veteran deputy is assigned to patrol the area known for drug smuggling.
She said the suspects were Hispanic men who "appear to be undocumented."
Villar said the suspects were armed with long guns and at least one handgun. She said gunfire with helicopters came about an hour after the initial incident. An unknown amount of marijuana apparently handled by the shooters remained in the desert.
The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office dispatched a helicopter and members of its SWAT team to Pinal County to assist in the case, said Sheriff's Lt. Brian Lee. Pinal County also requested assistance from the Arizona Department of Public Safety, which responded with two helicopters and a SWAT team.
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio was headed to Pinal County to assist in the investigation, Lee said. About 70 sheriff's employees responded to the scene. Lee said most had been involved in a crime suppression sweep in the Maryvale area earlier in the day.
The Border Patrol also sent agents to help the Pinal County Sheriff's Office with the investigation, said Mario Escalante, a Border Patrol spokesman assigned to the Tucson sector.
The nearest Border Patrol station in the area is located in Casa Grande.



Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2010/04/30/20100430pinal-county-deputy-shot-immigrant30-ON.html#ixzz0mdsrAl2M
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Hey, they made it across the border.
Let's reward them by giving them citizenship.
Isn't that what the opponents of SB1070 want?

 

yup thats how some ppl think also hey lets give them rights and a drivers license

 

exactly why i support arizonas new immigration laws

 

I hope this isn't the member from TW who's a law enforcement officer in Pinal County.

 

Go ahead and start askin for papers at all those protests. That'll empty most of the protests. I'm not gonna say anything else cuz I'll get banned or get the thread locked.

 

x infinity

 

X2, It's best I keep my mouth shut.

 

X1

 

Yeah this is some serious Bullshit. Sadly, it will take events like to this slowly open the eyes of everyone against this Law. BULLSHIT

 

Hope the Officer recovers soon, and gets back out on patrol.

I think we all know deep down, that things are going to get real bad soon all over, if we don't do anything about it. Things are already bad on the border, and now have spread into other cities, or starting too.

 

I don't think Curt is back doing that kind of duty yet.

 

News just had the local TPD officer that is suing AZ over this Law. They asked him what he didn't like about it in the beginning and he said "I don't know the exact verbage as I haven't read the whole thing, my Lawyer has, and he has been the one advising me..."

What an idiot! He is embarrassing me as a resident of Tucson, that we actually have an Officer that idiotic.

 

I was having this discussion just the other day, a woman n my math class thinks the bill is akin to asking the jews to wear stars for identification...Sadly, you guys are right, these are the types of events that will force the issue.

 

Highly agree, we need the National Guard ASAP.

 

Its time for us to Shoot to kill ANYONE seen coming over/under the fence ( swimming the Rio Grande ), period... fuck this

 

No...this isn't like askin Jews to wear a star. These people are here ILLEGALLY and I am payin for them to be here. What are they putting into the country? More people and no taxes. I don't even live in a border state and it pisses me off. If they don't have their papers, ship em out. They don't get rights just cuz they can cross the border. If they wanna come legally, more power to em, I don't have a problem. They can have every right offered in America if they come legally. If they're illegal, they have, in my eyes, as many "American rights" as a rock.

 

Ha...this is the discussion I had with someone the other day. If they come across, shoot em, and pile em up. They see that, and it'll stop quick, fast, and in a hurry.