On Tuesday, November 9th, 2021 at approximately 1:56 A.M. a Prescott Police Officer attempted to contact the driver and sole occupant of a white BMW after it was observed suspiciously blacked out near a business in the 1100 block of East Gurley St. Upon contact, the driver exited his vehicle and refused to follow commands provided by the officer. The suspect then reentered the vehicle against officer direction and left the scene at a high rate of speed westbound on Gurley St.
Other responding officers observed the suspect vehicle travelling at a high rate of speed westbound in the eastbound traffic lanes on Gurley St and also attempted to stop the fleeing vehicle. Again, the suspect ignored officers and continued westbound on Gurley Street. Due to the reckless nature of the suspect’s driving, officers did not pursue the vehicle any further.
Later, at approximately 2:29 A.M., Prescott Regional Dispatch Center received a call from a resident in the 1600 block of Idyllwild Road reporting a residential burglary in progress. Through the course of the investigation, officers were able to determine that the original suspect from the earlier unlawful flight had abandoned his vehicle and broken into a guest home, which was occupied at the time. The resident was able to get out of the house with the suspect still inside.
Prescott Police Officers arrived on scene to find the suspect still inside the residence actively barricading the doors and threatening lethal force against officers. Officers contained and controlled the scene until the Prescott Police Special Weapons and Tactics Team along with Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office S.W.A.T. team responded to take control of the incident.
After a several hour standoff, the suspect was eventually taken into custody. It was determined that the suspect had done several thousand dollars in damage to the home to include flooding the inside while he refused to surrender to authorities. No gunfire was exchanged during this incident, however S.W.A.T. officers did utilize less lethal munitions to assist in the peaceful resolve. Thankfully, nobody was injured during this incident.
The suspect was identified as Jeremiah Kuczynski, a 27 year old Phoenix man. Kuczynski was arrested and booked into the Yavapai County Jail on charges of Unlawful Flight from Law Enforcement, Burglary, Resisting Arrest, Criminal Damage, Prohibited Possessor in Possession of a Firearm and Aggressive Driving.
