Arizona Department of Public Safety (AZDPS) state troopers and Navajo County Sheriff’s Office (NCSO) deputies worked together to stop and apprehend a homicide suspect traveling from New Mexico into Arizona on Monday, April 17. The suspect, Tawann Richardson, 23, was the subject of an active homicide warrant out of Oklahoma and a felony parole violation warrant out of Texas. On Monday afternoon, AZDPS was notified Richardson was believed to be traveling westbound on Interstate 40 in a black Toyota Camry with Oklahoma license plates. Dispatchers relayed the information to troopers in the area, and troopers observed the suspect vehicle traveling westbound on Interstate 40 in Holbrook at approximately 3:40 p.m. A trooper initiated a traffic stop on the suspect vehicle, but the suspect continued driving westbound and a pursuit ensued. NCSO deputies successfully deployed tire deflation devices, and Richardson eventually lost control of the vehicle and came to a stop in the median near Milepost 271 west of Joseph City. Troopers took Richardson and a female passenger into custody without further incident. Richardson was booked into the Navajo County Jail on two counts of fugitive from justice and also faces a felony charge of unlawful flight from law enforcement. The incident shut down a portion of the westbound interstate between Joseph City Exit 274 and the Jackrabbit Road exit, with traffic diverted along the frontage road until the wreckage could be cleared.
