Police Beat: January 30

Son of a gun

A UA student reported that a man with a gun tailed him out of the Tyndall Parking Garage at 11:01 a.m. on Jan. 15.

University of Arizona Police Department officers spoke with the student at the police station on Jan. 22, where he said he’d already contacted the Tucson Police Department about the road rage incident that had taken place at 3 p.m. the day before.

The student was exiting the garage at the same time that a black Acura, driven by a man of “college age,” was backing out of a parking space. The other driver became upset when the student didn’t allow him to finish backing out.

The driver then followed the student out of the garage and pulled up alongside him, holding what the student believed to be a gun.

The suspect never pointed the object at the student, but the student said that he decided that if he saw the car again, he would report it to UAPD.

The student contacted UAPD when he saw the car a second time, provided a license plate number and added that the suspect’s car was a Honda, not an Acura. Police then spoke with a UA student whose name matched the plate number provided, but she said she wasn’t at school the week of Jan. 14. Police told her about the man who had reportedly been driving her car while flashing a gun at a student.

The woman said that she is the only person who drives her car and that she was away when the incident occurred.

The case was closed because UAPD was unable to identify the car involved.

He threw it on the ground

A UA student was cited and released for minor in possession and shoplifting from Highland Market at 1:03 a.m. on Jan. 27.

The student had eaten a bag of potato chips while waiting for a burrito, then left them unpaid for on a counter when his burrito was ready, according to the market’s manager. The manager told the student to pay for the item but the student replied, “I’m not paying for that,” threw the bag on the ground and only paid for the burrito.

The manager contacted UAPD, and the suspect was still there when an officer arrived.

UAPD spoke with the student outside.

“You probably wouldn’t have done that if you hadn’t been drinking tonight,” an officer said to the student, who had watery, bloodshot eyes.

“You’re probably right,” the student replied.

The student was cited and released for minor in possession and shoplifting. He was told not to return to the store without permission from the manager, unless he wanted to be arrested for criminal trespassing. His $1.89 receipt for the chips was placed into evidence.