Steven Del Rio was not what you would call a “smart man.” Del Rio got got of prison in May, but could not stay on the straight and narrow. He was the driver in an armed robbery yesterday that ended in his death after police officers in unmarked vehicles trapped him, spun him, and ventilated him.

A suspect in a bank robbery and pursuit from Avondale to Tempe has died after an exchange of gunfire with police officers Tuesday afternoon.

The deceased suspect has been identified as Steven Del Rio, 31, who had previously spent time in prison for armed robbery, aggravated assault and endangerment, according to Arizona Department of Corrections records.

Del Rio was most recently released from prison in May.

Aerial footage of the pursuit showed the suspect speeding down Valley roadways.

The robbery occurred at an Avondale bank, Credit Union West.
Police pursuit ends with shots fired.

It’s going to be interesting to see if there is any sort of an outcry from Phoenix’s social justice warriors over how the chase ended.

Phoenix police were able to get an unmarked pick-up truck in front of Del Rio during the pursuit, and the officer driving that vehicle forced Del Rio into a right turn. The move was clearly co-ordinated, and the police SUV behind Del Rio expertly executed a PIT, spinning Del Rio’s SUV into a telephone pole. Three other police vehicles swarmed the scene, pinning the vehicle in place.

As soon as the unmarked police vehicles stopped, officers put them in park, emerged, and opened fire on Del Rio.

Why?

We don’t yet know. The glare off the windshield of the suspect’s vehicle keeps us from seeing inside it, so we can’t tell what he is doing.

We can, however, see that the officer in the unmarked truck immediately steps out and fires five one-handed shots into the windshield of Del Rio’s SUV. The officer in the unmarked SUV who executed the PIT maneuver came around the rear of his vehicle at the same time with his patrol rifle, and first fires a controlled pair, then a final aimed shot through the passenger-side window. Because of the positioning of the vehicles and the unfortunate placement of a palm tree, we can’t tell if the third officer in the silver minivan fires any shots or not.

This is probably a justified shooting, and the driving by officers here was simply impressive.

Del Rio’s two accomplices, who fled the vehicle earlier in the chase, were apprehended. Del Rio also stopped briefly in an alley during the chase and dropped a bag from the vehicle which was retrieved by his sister; she was also detained.