Information from the Arizon Department of Public Safety: On December 17, 2009, at approximately 9:29 p.m., an Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) Officer located a vehicle with a stolen license plate traveling westbound on State Route 101 at 64th street. The officer attempted to stop the vehicle at the 56th street exit. At the 7th Street exit on the Loop 101, DPS Officer Chris Marano was out of his vehicle and in the process of deploying stop sticks, which is a tire deflation device, in an effort to disable the fleeing suspect vehicle and end the pursuit.
Officer Marano was standing in the right shoulder of the freeway. The suspect vehicle veered into the right shoulder while the pursuing DPS patrol vehicle remained in the right travel lane striking Officer Marano.
Officer Marano, 28, of Surprise, Ariz., was transported to John C. Lincoln Hospital North Mountain where he was pronounced deceased at 10:09 p.m. He is survived by his wife, Shelly Marano, and four children ages 7, 5, 5, and 4 months. Officer Marano had served with DPS three and one half years. Shelly is a State Correctional Officer with the Arizona Department of Corrections (DOC) and is currently assigned to the Lewis Prison Complex.
The suspect vehicle continued and exited the freeway at 7th Avenue. With the assistance of citizens, officers located the abandoned vehicle at 5th Avenue and Tonopah. A perimeter was established with the aid of Phoenix Police and the Mesa Police helicopter. A Phoenix Police Canine unit located the suspect hiding on the balcony of a condominium. The suspect did not respond to officer’s commands and was bitten by a police canine.
The suspect, Georgia Lynn Baker, 43, of Phoenix was transported to a local hospital for treatment of the bite injury. Investigators believe she was impaired by drugs.
Baker remains in the hospital and will undergo minor surgery. We expect her to be booked into the Maricopa County 4th Avenue Jail. DPS will notify media when the suspect is transported which should be sometime today.
For more information, go to AZDPS.gov.
*********
Please note: All suspects are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
This column is provided for general information purposes only. Please check with your local law enforcement agency and legal professional for information specific to you and your jurisdiction.
The information in this article is provided “as is”, with all faults, expressed or implied. The author and/or publisher and/or copyright holder makes no guarantee regarding the accuracy or completeness of the information. In no event shall the author and/or publisher and/or copyright holder be liable for any incidental or consequential damages, punitive damages, lost profits, and/or any indirect damages.
