Quartzsite, Arizona - Blythe Station Border Patrol agents responded to what they thought was a single vehicle accident Wednesday evening, only to end up dealing with an assaultive subject and in a stolen pickup truck.
At approximately 7 p.m., agents operating along Highway 95 near Quartzsite observed a truck sitting in the desert that appeared to have also struck a bicycle. Thinking the truck had actually struck a bicyclist, agents immediately called Emergency Medical Services and the La Paz County Sheriff’s Office for assistance.
When agents arrived at the truck’s location, they encountered sole male in the truck who had apparently run over an abandoned bicycle while driving through the desert. As agents made contact with the truck’s driver, he became combative, forcing agents to use a less-than-lethal device to gain control until a Sheriff’s deputy arrived.
In the course of an onsite investigation, the deputy learned that the tuck was reported stolen out of Santa Ana, California, and that no bicyclist was in the area at the time of the incident.
The subject, a 48-year-old U.S. citizen, declined medical treatment. The deputy then arrested the man for assault and possession of stolen property.