Man killed in shootout with Arizona officers along Interstate 10

One man is dead and another was taken into custody overnight following a series of police-involved shootings and a carjacking along Interstate 10 about 60 miles west of Phoenix.

The suspect, whose name was not immediately released, was shot and killed by law enforcement officials in the town of Quartzsite early Wednesday, according to the Arizona Department of Public Safety.

A more than 20-mile stretch of westbound I-10 was closed for about six hours for the police investigation. The closure was lifted about 8 a.m.

The ordeal began about 1 a.m., when a Ford Mustang with a suspended license plate was stopped by a DPS trooper near milepost 57. The DPS trooper had the driver exit the Mustang and discussed the reason for the traffic stop.

The DPS said a passenger in the Mustang also exited the car and shot at the trooper with a semi-automatic gun but missed. The trooper fired back, and the gunman drove away in the Mustang, headed west along the 1-10.

Border Patrol, acting on a request for help from the La Paz County Sheriff's Office, spotted the suspect vehicle near milepost 17 and gave chase until the vehicle stopped at milepost 11.

The end of the pursuit prompted the first exchange of gunfire between the man and Border Patrol agents.

The man abandoned the Mustang and broke into a semi-truck, beating the resting truck driver and stealing the vehicle, according to the DPS. The truck driver was injured but was not taken to a hospital for treatment.

Officials said the man then drove eastbound on I-10 and took exit 17, where another shootout occurred between the man, DPS troopers, agents and deputies.

The man ended up crashing the big rig at a gas station in the 3100 block of north Main Street in Quartzsite, where a final shootout took place at about 2:30 a.m., the DPS said.

During the exchange, the man was shot an unknown number of times by Border Patrol agents. They, along with troopers, provided aid to the man until he was flown to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead about 4 a.m., authorities said.

The original driver of the Mustang was said to be in the custody of the Arizona Department of Public Safety.

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