A man was arrested on the roof of a garage last week after allegedly shooting a rifle around a Clarkdale neighborhood, police say.
Clarkdale Police Department officers were dispatched to Lamar Lane just after 8:43 a.m. on Sept.6 after a resident called police to report that a male suspect dressed in black, later identified as 26-year-old Malachi Cardona, was firing a rifle in the neighborhood, according to a press release from the department.
The person who called was reportedly watching Cardona shooting from a distance, and he allegedly continued to fire the weapon while they were on the phone with dispatch, who was also able to hear the gunshots. While on the phone, the caller said they watched the man enter a home on Lamar Lane through its garage.
Clarkdale Police Sgt. Joe Candelaria said it is unclear exactly what Cardona was shooting at.
“We were not able to determine where he was aiming when he was shooting. The reporting party stated he was aiming toward the mountain and ‘spraying,’” he said.
Officers contacted the owner of the home the suspect was reportedly seen entering, who confirmed that he and his family were out of town at the time and had not given permission for anyone to access the house.
The initial officer requested backup from several nearby agencies, including the Cottonwood Police Department, Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office and Yavapai-Apache Police Department, all of which responded. Police created a perimeter around the house and used a loudspeaker to order Cardona to come out of the house and leave his weapon inside. Cardona allegedly exited the home and climbed onto the roof of a nearby detached garage. Police followed him onto the roof and arrested him.
“He climbed onto the roof of a detached garage that was next to the second-story deck,” Candelaria said. “It was just a step across from the stairs to the roof. He was taken into custody on the roof of the garage without incident.”
As police continued their investigation, they discovered that Cardona allegedly broke into two homes and a vehicle on Lamar Lane before being discovered. He allegedly stole the rifle he was firing as well as other items police did not disclose. Evidence from all three burglaries were allegedly found on Cardona’s person.
Police discovered 17 spent rifle cartridges at the scene. Several other homes were in close proximity to where the incident occurred, none of which were struck by bullets.
Candelaria said the use of drugs or alcohol may have been a contributing factor in the case.
“Substance abuse is suspected but not confirmed at this time,” he said.
Cardona was booked into Yavapai County Detention Center in Camp Verde and faces two counts of burglary, misconduct involving weapons, discharging a firearm in city limits, prohibited possessor, use of a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony and endangerment charges.
