Officer dragged by alleged triple-stabbing suspect in Apache Junction

APACHE JUNCTION, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) - Three people were stabbed at a bar early Saturday morning in Apache Junction which later turned into a pursuit from Apache Junction to Canyon Lake where one man has been arrested.

Apache Junction police said when they arrived at a bar near Superstition Boulevard and Plaza Drive, they found 41-year-old suspect Weston James leaving the scene in his car. When officers stopped him about one block from the bar, they pulled four people out of the car. Three were detained and James grabbed the keys and got back into the car, trying to drive away. One officer tried to grab him before he pulled away, but James drove off, dragging the officer behind him.

Another officer fired his gun at the car, but the suspect was not shot. The officer who was dragged a short distance is also okay. A pursuit involving the Mesa Police air unit and Pinal County Sheriff’s deputies ensued, ending more than fourteen miles away at Canyon Lake. Police say James rammed a Pinal County Sheriff’s car and an Apache Junction Police car in the area and was arrested shortly after. He was taken to a nearby hospital with minor injuries, according to police, and his charges are pending.

The three stabbing victims at the bar were taken to a nearby hospital, where two are in stable condition and the other victim left the hospital before staff could check on them. No details have been released about what led up to the stabbing. Anyone who knows anything about this incident is asked to call the Apache Junction Police Department Criminal Investigation Division at 480-982-8260.