Chandler man shot at while chasing alleged car prowlers finds suspects’ gun near sidewalk the next day

CHANDLER, Ariz. — A Chandler man said his decision to confront two teens attempting to break into his neighbor’s car Friday night nearly cost him his life. 

The man, who asked to remain anonymous, said he had just gotten home when he saw the teens dressed in black trying to break into a neighbor’s car.

He flashed his lights and honked his horn. When the two suspects ran off on foot, he followed them in his car while calling 911.

“They got about 100 yards in and turned around… one of the people reached up and grabbed a gun and shot eight rounds toward my car, hitting my car three times,” he said.

The shooting happened near Markwood and Cottonwood drives.

Bullets struck his vehicle as he ducked for cover while on the phone with dispatchers, he said. No one was hurt, and officers arrived within minutes. The two teens were eventually caught and arrested, according to Chandler police.

But the story didn’t end there. On Saturday, while retracing his steps, the man said he found the weapon one of the suspects had ditched.

“I’m walking along the fence line right where I saw that they left after they shot at me, and I see a gun sitting there,” he said. “Didn’t touch it. Called 911.”

He estimates the gun was about 250 feet from where the shooting happened—in plain view, just off a sidewalk where kids often ride their bikes

“It was just sitting there ready for someone to pick up, and you know, something bad to happen,” he said.

His neighbor, Kenny, who lives nearby, said his family heard the gunfire that night.

“We were just watching Netflix, hanging out, me and my wife and the newborn, and our dog went crazy. We knew it was gunshots. Something like that does not happen around here — never,” he said.

He said hearing that the gun was recovered brings relief to parents in the neighborhood.

“There’s so many people that ride bikes around here, and to know that’s not just sitting around for some kid to pick up — that’s great news,” Kenny said.

One of the teens was booked into juvenile detention after being questioned.

“Very uncommon for this neighborhood,” the man said. “It’s a wonderful, wonderful neighborhood. I know all my neighbors by name. Just very uncommon thing to happen around here.”

Following his interview with 12News, the man was on the phone with Chandler police again, this time after finding the backpacks the two suspects had left behind.