A woman driving a red Dodge Ram reportedly struck an Arizona state trooper’s patrol car early Saturday morning, October 24, then continued down a Phoenix freeway despite losing the pickup’s right-front wheel.
The truck made it to a Circle K gas station near Interstate 17 and Bethany Home Road, where video shows troopers ordering the woman out of the badly damaged vehicle. Sparks were visible beneath the pickup as it approached the intersection, and thick smoke later surrounded the truck as it sat near what appeared to be underground fuel storage access points.
During the confrontation, the woman told officers she had six children and insisted she hadn’t done anything wrong. Troopers eventually removed her from the pickup and took her into custody.
Key News Network captured the damaged truck and subsequent confrontation with troopers. The news organization reported that impairment was suspected.
Three Wheels and Still Going
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The collision occurred around 2:35 a.m. on northbound I-17 near Camelback Road. Arizona Department of Public Safety troopers were directing traffic while Arizona Department of Transportation crews removed cones from the roadway.
The Dodge reportedly struck a marked patrol vehicle, losing its right-front wheel in the collision. The driver continued northbound until troopers caught up with her near the Bethany Home Road exit.
The video begins with the pickup still moving through the intersection, its damaged front corner dragging along the pavement. The driver eventually stops on the forecourt of a Circle K near the northeast corner of Bethany Home Road and I-17, where troopers approach with weapons drawn and repeatedly order her to exit.
One detail viewers may notice is the electronic gasoline sign behind the truck. At different points, the advertised price changes between $4.39⁹ and $4.29⁹ per gallon. A closer look shows the sign also changing its labels, cycling between a credit price and a lower savings price. The ten-cent difference is part of the station’s advertised pricing display.
An Unusual Explanation
As troopers order the woman to open the door and step out with her hands raised, she protests that she has six children. She also insists she hasn’t done anything wrong.
The officers continue issuing commands, eventually opening the driver’s door and physically removing her. After a brief struggle, she is restrained on the pavement.
Meanwhile, thick smoke spreads around the damaged pickup, creating another concern at the gas station. The truck has stopped near several circular access covers in the concrete that appear associated with the station’s underground fuel storage system. Earlier footage shows sparks coming from its damaged front corner. As smoke surrounds the vehicle, a trooper uses a fire extinguisher near the pickup.
Key News Network reported that field sobriety tests were administered and impairment was strongly suspected. The trooper whose patrol vehicle was struck declined medical attention.
An Earlier Emergency
Hours before the Dodge collision, another incident had closed the same stretch of I-17.
Arizona’s Family reported that a pedestrian was struck on northbound I-17 near Camelback Road around 10 p.m. Friday, October 23. DPS closed the freeway while investigating that collision.
Approximately four and a half hours later, troopers were managing traffic as crews removed cones near the same location when the Dodge reportedly struck the patrol vehicle. It remains unclear whether the traffic-control operation was connected to the earlier pedestrian collision.
Arizona DPS has acknowledged a media inquiry seeking the driver’s identity, charges, and further details about the incident. Those details have not yet been released.
All parties are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.