After manhunt, arrests made in shooting of Ariz. officer
PHOENIX -- Authorities say two suspects have been arrested following a weeklong manhunt into a shooting that left an Arizona law officer wounded.
The unidentified Arizona Department of Public Safety officer, a six-year veteran, was shot in the face Oct. 8, reports CBS affiliate KPHO. He's reportedly in stable condition.
Phoenix police spokesman Sgt. Trent Crump late Wednesday night announced the arrests of the "two outstanding suspects" in the shooting of the officer during a traffic stop.
His brief statement did not name the suspects, but said more information would be released Thursday.
Police said earlier that 39-year-old Ramon L. Bueno and 26-year-old Danny Angel Vargas were being sought for questioning as persons of interest.
Two were arrested around 7 p.m. Wednesday near a Phoenix intersection, reports CBS affiliate KPHO. Though police have not officially identified the suspects, Ramon Bueno was escorted early Thursday from the Phoenix Police Department into a squad car.
Bueno told a KPHO reporter, "I didn't do nothing," reports the station. He reportedly had abrasions on his head and claimed officers "tried to kill me."
The shooting occurred just before 3 a.m. Oct. 8 in a Phoenix hotel parking lot as the officer approached a car he stopped for extremely dark tinted windows, officials said.
The officer was shot in the face and wounded, but was able to radio for help, a law enforcement spokesman said.
Two responding DPS officers were helping the officer in the parking lot of the Knight's Inn on Black Canyon Highway when the suspicious vehicle approached from behind and the suspects opened fire on the officers, Phoenix Police department spokesman James Holmes told CBS affiliate KPHO.
The officers returned fire, and the vehicle left the area. Several hours later, Holmes said authorities had located the vehicle and were searching the vicinity.
Police have said they believe there were 5 people in the car at the time of the shooting. Valeria S. Jaime, 24, was taken into custody on suspicion of hindering prosecution, a felony, reports the station.
A second woman was detained, questioned and released late last week, and a third woman, 29, was also questioned and released Sunday, reports the station.
Police said Jaime is Bueno's girlfriend and was with him at the time of the shooting, reports KPHO. When she was interviewed Oct. 9, she reportedly told officers she hadn't had contact with him since the shooting. However, a witness told officers she had been with Bueno at a restaurant the previous day.
"Detectives determined this suspect's actions following the shooting of the DPS officer, and her statements at interview, were a furtive effort to mislead detectives and hinder the investigation," Phoenix police spokesman Officer James Holmes told the station.
Jaime was released with restrictions.
Multiple agencies were involved in the investigation, led by Phoenix police, including the ATF, DPS, FBI and the U.S. Marshal's Service, reports the station.