CAUGHT ON VIDEO: Mesa PD tracks down stolen vehicle suspect at elementary school

MESA, Ariz. — The Mesa Police Department said a stolen vehicle suspect jumped over multiple residential walls and entered backyards before being arrested on the campus of a nearby elementary school on Wednesday.

Police said they attempted to stop a vehicle in the 2300 block of West Main Street after finding a stolen vehicle near Dobson and Broadway roads.

The suspect driver, identified as 21-year-old William Brock, left the area at a high rate of speed through an apartment complex before leaving the vehicle on West 2nd Street, police said.

Video captured by Mesa PD drones shows Brock jumping over multiple residential walls and entering backyards before climbing onto the campus of a nearby elementary school.

School staff quickly directed students to safety, and the campus was placed on lockdown as a precaution, officials said.

Mesa PD body camera shows officers chasing after Brock before taking him into custody.

He has been booked into jail on charges of theft, unlawful flight, resisting arrest, criminal trespass, criminal damage and disorderly conduct.

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“The Valley” is what locals call the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. It is considered the largest metropolitan area in the Southwest.  

The Valley is made up of various major cities other than Phoenix, including:  

• Mesa  

• Chandler  

• Scottsdale  

• Tempe  

• Glendale  

• Surprise  

• Peoria  

• Gilbert  

• El Mirage 

• Avondale 

• Litchfield Park 

• Goodyear 

• Buckeye 

Whether a city is in the “East Valley” or “West Valley” depends on where it is in relation to Phoenix.  

The cities of the Valley have a combined population of 4,845,832 people, according to the 2020 United States Census. This makes it the 11th largest metropolitan area in the country right behind the Boston and Atlanta areas.