Stolen Vehicle Suspect Captured After Running Across Mesa Elementary School Campus

By Ciara Perez, Senior Multimedia Correspondent

iSkyNews.com (ISN) – Published February 21st, 2026

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Stolen Vehicle Suspect Arrested After Running Across Elementary School Campus During Dismissal

MESA, Ariz. — A stolen vehicle suspect was arrested Wednesday afternoon after leading Mesa Police on a short pursuit that ended on the campus of an elementary school during dismissal, prompting a brief lockdown as a precaution.

According to Mesa Police, officers located a stolen vehicle on February 18, 2026, near the intersection of Dobson Road and Broadway Road. At approximately 12:50 p.m., officers attempted to stop the vehicle in the 2300 block of West Main Street.

When officers activated their emergency lights and siren, the driver — identified as 21-year-old William Brock — fled at a high rate of speed through a nearby apartment complex. Investigators say the Mesa Police Real Time Crime Center tracked the vehicle while a Mesa Police Drone as First Responder (DFR) was deployed to follow from the air.

A short time later, Brock parked the stolen vehicle at an unrelated residence on West 2nd Street and ran from officers on foot, fleeing eastbound along W. 2nd Street. He jumped over multiple residential walls and entered several backyards near 1900 W. 2nd Street.

Police say Brock then climbed over a rear fence and onto the campus of a nearby elementary school that was in the process of dismissing students. Children and staff were outside when Brock ran across the campus, passing multiple students and employees.

School staff quickly directed students to safety, and the campus was placed on lockdown out of an abundance of caution.

Officers were able to quickly close in, and within less than a minute, Brock was contacted and taken into custody on the school grounds without further incident. No injuries were reported.

Brock was booked into jail and faces multiple charges, including theft of means of transportation, unlawful flight, resisting arrest, criminal trespass, criminal damage, and disorderly conduct.