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Shoplifting Suspect Fired Shotgun at Man Who Drove after Him

A man suspected of firing a shotgun at a driver who pursued him after a shoplifting last Saturday in Mesa, Arizona,  was arrested the next day, Mesa police said. Michael Schturmgeist, 31, is suspected of shoplifting from a Bed Bath & Beyond store, police said. During the incident, a man observed store employees chasing the shoplifting suspect, who fled the scene in a silver Nissan Altima.  The man then followed the car in his own vehicle until the driver stopped his car and fired a weapon at the man’s car, striking the vehicle while the victim’s 4-year-old daughter was inside, Mesa police said. The shoplifting suspect was able to get away and police said they initiated an investigation.

The next day, Mesa officers responded to a report of prostitution activity at a Super 8 Motel where a silver Nissan was found in the parking lot with the lights on and a man and a woman in the vehicle. The woman fled the scene and the man remained in the car with a short-barreled shotgun resting between his right leg and the vehicle console. The man initially gave a false identity, but he later was identified as Schturmgeist and was placed under arrest for false reporting. Officers found drugs and drug paraphernalia in the vehicle and later connected him and the vehicle to the shoplifting. Schturmgeist confirmed to officers that he was involved in the shoplifting and fired the weapon to get away from the vehicle that was following him. Schturmgeist was booked on charges of aggravated assault, possession of dangerous drugs for sale, possession of dangerous drugs, possession of a weapon by a prohibited possessor, possession of drug paraphernalia, shoplifting, theft, and false reporting to law enforcement, police said.  [Source: AZcentral]

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