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Well that didn’t take long…
Less than 24 hours after Johnny “Irish” McNeel tried to shoot a Maricopa County sheriff’s deputy, he was captured in Mesa, MCSO Sergeant Jesse Spurgin confirms to New Times.
We figured it was only a matter of time before McNeel got nabbed, as you can see in the photo to the right, he’s got a fairly stupid unique look — namely, the “480” tattoo on his chin, which, Spurgin says, is an homage to the Valley’s 480 area code.
Authorities say McNeel tried to shoot the deputy near 98th Street and Coralbelle — near Crismon and Broadway roads — about 1 a.m yesterday.
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Spurgin
says the deputy recognized McNeel as someone sought by authorities when
he saw him walking down the street — so he stopped him.
According to authorities, there’s
currently a warrant out for his arrest for misconduct with a weapon.
McNeel has a lengthy criminal history that’s landed him as a guest of
both
the state and the county in the past — he was recently released
from county jail, Spurgin says.
When the deputy stopped him, a fight broke out, which ended when McNeel
took out a gun and pulled the trigger. The gun, Spurgin says, jammed,
and a bullet was never fired.
As McNeel pulled his gun, the deputy drew and fired his as well. The
deputy’s gun didn’t jam, but McNeel wasn’t hit.
McNeel managed to get away after the scuffle, but the MCSO, in collaboration with the U.S. Marshals Office, located him in the confines of the “480” last night.
McNeel was booked into a Phoenix jail on weapons charges. Additional charges are pending.
