A man was killed Tuesday, Jan. 24, when the stolen pickup truck he was driving northbound toward Camp Verde veered off Interstate 17 and crashed after police had flattened two of his tires, according to reports.
Bradley Burton Moore was pronounced dead at the scene just south of Camp Verde. Moore, 29, was driving a truck reported stolen from a construction site in Gilbert.
He led Arizona Department of Public Safety troopers on a pursuit from Scottsdale to I-17 milepost 282 near Copper Canyon, where he lost control of the vehicle, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.
“The pickup hit the guardrail and rolled over the guardrail, then rolled down the canyon,” ADOT spokeswoman Kameron Lee said. “The driver was ejected from the vehicle. When troopers arrived on scene, they immediately began lifesaving efforts until the fire department arrived. Shortly after the driver was pronounced deceased.”
The incident began at 12:40 p.m., when troopers began to follow the truck without initiating pursuit. A Phoenix Firebird helicopter responded to the area and kept troopers updated on the vehicle’s location.
Moore made his way onto I-17 northbound with troopers following about a half mile behind. The helicopter crew terminated its flight due to worsening weather conditions.
“At milepost 242 on I-17, troopers successfully spiked the left front tire of [the] pickup,” Lee said. “The vehicle continued northbound for 22 miles at a high rate of speed. At milepost 264 on I-17 northbound, troopers successfully spiked the left rear tire of the pickup. The pickup again continued northbound at a high rate of speed, driving on two rims.”
At that point, Moore exited the freeway to his death.
In addition to DPS, the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office and Copper Canyon Fire and Medical Authority responded to the incident.
The highway was closed for several hours. Northbound traffic to the Verde Valley and Flagstaff was diverted to State Route 169. Drivers were directed to either cross Mingus Mountain on State Route 89A into Jerome or State Route 89 to Interstate 40 at Ashfork.
According to Lee, Moore was a resident of Yuma but had recently been living in the Phoenix area.
