A Chandler man is being charged with aggravated assault, drive-by shooting, and unlawful discharge of a firearm after shooting at shoplifting suspects on a busy roadway. 25-year-old John Haag was shopping at a local Walgreens back in March when he witnessed two men running from the store and driving away in a U-Haul cargo van.
When a store employee confirmed that the men had stolen something, Haag returned to his car to pursue the suspects. Pulling along side the cargo van, Haag pointed a gun at the suspects and ordered them to pull over. When the men refused to comply Haag fired a shot at them. The van was not struck, but immediately pulled a dangerous U-turn into oncoming traffic to escape.
Haag fled the scene and neglected to report his involvement to police, but the incident had been caught on film by a dash-cam. Initially ABC15 reported this as an extreme road rage incident, which Chandler police were investigating. Fortunately for the investigation, Haag was not shy about his involvement, bragging about the incident on Facebook.
Haag was arrested after police investigating the incident determined that he was not justified in attempting to use deadly force against shoplifting suspects. When questioned Haag admitted he was trying to be a “hero.”
“I just wanted to stop the vehicle and get them caught,” Haag told ABC15. “After I shoot, it just all flashed, and I’m like ‘oh my God, what the hell did I just do?'”
Haag later told police he realized that shooting at the vehicle on a crowded roadway was “stupid.”
Kevin Peevey, the driver who caught the whole incident on camera agreed.
“People like that give gun owners a bad name. I’m pro-gun. But use it for safety. You don’t pull it out in a very busy intersection, let alone fire it,” Peevey told ABC15.
Featured image screengrab via Youtube
