Mark Harris

The Republic | azcentral.com

Police have arrested a man accused of shooting at an officer in an unmarked car in south Phoenix on Wednesday, officials say.

The suspect, identified as 20-year-old Eric Gaitan, told police he mistook the officer as another man with whom he has an ongoing dispute, according to a police statement.

The officer, an 18-year veteran detective, was stopped at a light near 20th Street and Southern Avenue at about 7 a.m. when a car pulled alongside and the occupant fired a shot at the officer, Sgt. Jonathan Howard, a Phoenix police spokesman, wrote in the statement.

Unharmed, the detective drove away and was calling for help as the suspect vehicle followed, diverting only when the officer turned on the car's lights and sirens, Howard said.

While fleeing, the suspect vehicle collided with another car near 24th Street and Southern Avenue and ran from the vehicle, only to be captured by the detective, Howard said.

Gaitan will face a charge of aggravated assault, among others, police said.