FLAGSTAFF – On Tuesday, February 4, 2014 at about 7:30 p.m. Coconino County Sheriff’s Deputies Arrested forty six year-old James Capobianco Jr. of Sedona Arizona for Theft of Automobile, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Possession of Marijuana, Unlawful Flight from a Law Enforcement Officer, Aggravated DUI on a Suspended License, and Reckless Driving.
On February 4, 2014 at 7:06 p.m. the Sheriff’s Office received the report of the theft of a 1969 Chevrolet pickup truck bearing an Arizona license plate from the owner’s residence located off of Highway 89A in Oak Creek Canyon. A Deputy spotted the vehicle headed north bound on 89A in the area of the Pinedale Subdivision.A second Deputy and an Arizona Department of Public Safety Officer were stopped on 89A in the area of the entrance to Fort Tuthill. As the stolen vehicle and the following Deputy passed, the second Deputy and Officer fell in behind the first two vehicles.
As the suspect vehicle passed the entrance to the Mountain Dell subdivision a Deputy observed the speed to be approximately seventy miles per hour. Deputies engaged their vehicles emergency lights and siren and the suspect failed to yield accelerating as it made a right turn on Lake Mary Road. The vehicle turned onto West High County squealing its tires as it negotiated the turn. The vehicle continued on West High Country at a high rate of speed almost rear ending vehicles in front of it and passing in a reckless manner. At this point and in the interest of public safety the on duty supervisor advised the involved Deputies to terminate the pursuit. A Deputy could see through the trees that the fleeing vehicle stopped approximately fifty yards ahead of the location where the deputies had stopped pursuing the vehicle.
Deputies approached the vehicle and saw the DPS Officer chasing the driver later identified as James Capobianco Jr. on foot. They joined the foot chase and a Deputy was able to make physical contact with the fleeing suspect. Initially the suspect physically resisted arrest but eventually complied and was taken into custody without injury to himself or the arresting Deputies.
During this investigation Deputies learned that approximately four months prior to this incident a female relative of the suspect’s sold her vehicle to the victim. The suspect allegedly retained a spare set of keys to the vehicle and used the keys to steal the vehicle. During an interview with arresting Deputies the suspect made statements implicating him in the above listed offenses.