Pinal County deputy shoots at ‘armed and dangerous’ suspects who allegedly rammed patrol vehicles

PINAL COUNTY, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) -- The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office says a burglary call ended in an officer-involved shooting in an area south of Florence early Wednesday morning. Now deputies are searching for two men, one of whom may be wounded.

Deputies were called out just before 3 a.m. to a reported burglary on Desert Hills Road south of town. As they arrived, deputies say two suspects were trying to drive away and rammed two patrol vehicles. That’s when one deputy fired at the suspects, who then ran away on foot.

According to PCSO, one suspect is identified as Michael Anthony, 61, and is described as a white man with long curly hair and facial hair, wearing glasses, a dark-colored cap, and jeans. Deputies are also searching for Phillip Rice, 33, who is described as a bald white man wearing a long sleeve shirt that has writing on the back, with jeans. Deputies are calling the pair “armed and dangerous.”

If you see the suspects, do not approach them. Call 911 in an emergency or call PCSO at 520-866-5111. This is the 31st officer-involved shooting outside Maricopa County and the 82nd in the state in 2022.

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