CHANDLER, AZ — A man has been arrested after a police shooting and suspect search in a Chandler neighborhood last week.
According to police documents, the incident started on June 1 around 7 p.m. when someone reported being threatened with a gun at a Little Caesar’s Pizza store near Arizona Avenue and Erie Street.
Documents say the victim told police the man followed him to his vehicle and showed a firearm that was underneath his shirt.
Officers reportedly arrived at the scene and met with the suspect, who said he did not have a gun. Police say one of the officers saw him reach into his waistband and run from the area, disobeying officers’ commands.
Police say video shows the man pulling a gun from his waistband and holding the gun while turning towards the officers.
Both officers reportedly fired at the man in self-defense, and the man continued to flee the area. He was not taken into custody until days later after investigations led police to the suspect.
Police say they tested fingerprints on a vehicle connected to the suspect, later identified as 27-year-old Raymond Harding.
A firearm found in the area was also seized.
Upon being taken into custody on June 6, Harding reportedly admitted to being at the Little Caesar’s restaurant but offered no other comment on what happened.
Harding was not injured when police fired their weapons at him. No shots were fired by Harding during the ordeal.
He was booked into jail on charges including aggravated assault, disorderly conduct, and prohibited weapon possession.
