Black flag: Unsers busted at crime scene

ALBUQUERQUE -- Right in the middle of today’s deadly carjacker pursuit, the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department arrested two members of Albuquerque’s famous Unser racing family. Both Al Unser Sr. and Bobby Unser Sr. were booked into the Metro Detention Center this afternoon charged with failure to obey a police officer and resisting arrest.

The brothers, who have a combined seven checkered flags at the Indianapolis 500 and are huge names in the racing world, apparently thought their celebrity status meant they were above the law.

The police pursuit of a stolen car, complete with reported shotgun fire aimed at pursuing officers, ended about 11 a.m. when the suspect crashed into another car and then accidentally or deliberately shot himself to death with the sawed-off shotgun. That dramatic conclusion happened at an intersection close to some Unser family property.

While the incident was still unfolding, Bernalillo County sheriff's investigators allege Al Unser started going through a roadblock in an attempt to get to his property. Despite six or seven warnings to leave the area, he still refused to leave, saying it was his property--he owned it.

When the deputy told him he would be arrested, Unser allegedly said, “You can't take me to jail,” and began cussing at the officer.

Officers report he then jerked away and said, “Don't you know who I am? I'm Al Unser.”

A short time after he was arrested, Bobby Unser showed up. Deputies said he, too, refused to leave and resisted arrest.

Both were transported to holding cells at the Valley substation before being taken to jail.

“They simply told them numerous times to leave the area, and they simply refused to do so,” Erin Kinnard of the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department said. “Were not talking about a situation where we're trying to catch a shoplifter.

KRQE News 13 was told Al Unser threatened the arresting officer, telling him he would get back at him some day.

People on the scene also said the deputies didn’t recognize Al Unser and didn’t care who he was, they just wanted the men to leave since shots were being fired in the area.

Contacted later, Al Unser Jr. declined a request for an interview. KRQE News 13 was unable to reach Bobby Unser.

Suspected car thief ends standoff by shooting himself.

A suspected car thief who stood off police for about an hour and a half this morning in a NW Albuquerque neighborhood fatally shot himself shortly before 11 a.m. with a shotgun-type weapon, Albuquerque Police Department spokesman John Walsh tells ABQjournal.com.

Detectives remain on the scene where they are investigating the means and circumstances of the man's death, Walsh said.

The incident began to unfold around 9:24 this morning, when police pursued a man driving a suspected stolen car, driving recklessly through neighborhood streets until crashing into another vehicle at the corner of Unser and Bluewater, Walsh said.

The man, whose identity isn't known yet, allegedly fired shots at police as they pursued him, and police ordered the closure of several streets as they waited for the man to give himself up.

Walsh said police discovered that the man had shot himself at 10:54 a.m.

Police said the man was a suspect in several recent carjackings, KOAT-TV reported.

After the stolen car crashed into an SUV, two people in the SUV were taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police told KOAT-TV.

Police discovered the man was dead after firing tear gas and approaching the car, KOAT-TV reported.

According to KRQE-TV, the stolen vehicle -- a gold-colored Ford Excursion -- was spotted by an officer on patrol and when the officer tried to pull the driver over, the driver -- described as a Hispanic male in his late teens to early 20s -- fled, allegedly firing at the pursuing officers.

"We believe at this time that this individual may have been responsible for several carjackings in a spree of crime that has lasted over at least the last week within the city of Albuquerque and in the county of Bernalillo," Walsh told KRQE.

No officers were reported injured, and the streets surrounding the Unser and Bluewater area that were closed during the incident have reopened, except for the immediate area of the standoff, KRQE reported.

10:40am UPDATE: A suspected car thief who allegedly fired shots at pursuing officers this morning remains inside the stolen car where it crashed into another vehicle at Unser and Bluewater NW, Albuquerque Police Department spokesman John Walsh tells ABQjournal.com.

Police have blocked off Unser from Central to Los Volcanes NW, as well as Bluewater NW in both directions from Unser, as officers try to get the still-unidentified suspect to surrender, Walsh said.

As police gave chase to the suspect, he allegedly fired several shots at officers as he drove recklessly, sometimes the wrong way, down some neighborhood streets, before he crashed into another car, Walsh said.

10:15am UPDATE: Albuquerque police have blocked off Unser from Central to Los Volcanes NW as they pursue a suspect who allegedly stole a car and were chasing him when he wrecked the car at the intersection of Unser and Bluewater NW. He took off again, firing shots at officers as he fled, KOAT-TV is reporting.

10:10am -- Suspected Car Thief At Bay: Police block NW ABQ streets waiting for suspect to give up.

The Albuquerque Police Department won't say why, but they have ordered Unser between Bluewater and Central NW and Bluewater from Unser to Coors NW closed to traffic, KOB-TV is reporting.

We'll let you know what's happening as soon as we find out.

http://www.abqjournal.com/abqnews/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1298&Itemid=2

ABQnews Blog

Must chime in here:
Admittedly I was a fan of both the senior Unsers & remember when Junior ran sprints at Ascot a couple of times.

I'm usually pro-police; BUT...

Similar thing happened to me when a "recovering" druggie rammed my girlfriend's car, in front of my house (20MPH zone), pushing it onto the green verge and totalling both cars;
so the locals handcuffed me because I drove up, parked, and asked what the hell happened.

Did I mention that they unloaded all the swag from the guy's car, onto my lawn, and gave him a ride home because he was obviously 'tired'?

Only intervention by a retired cop/neighbor got me out of the patrol car (and got the crap picked up from my lawn).

We were both just thrilled afterward when the local engineering cult proclaimed that the crush-zone had worked on her new lexus.

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