Mesa police bust drop house, 12 in custody (AZFamily.com)

Mesa police bust drop house, 12 in custody
by Catherine Holland
Posted on February 1, 2010 at 7:12 AM

MESA -- Twelve people are in custody after a tip led police to an apparent drop house in Mesa.
At about 9:15 Sunday night, a neighbor called police to report what he believed to be suspicious activity at a home that was supposed to be vacant near Broadway Road and Stapley Drive.
Officers said when they arrived on the scene, they found several people in a truck parked outside the house. There were also people inside.
Several people -- both from the truck and from the house -- tried to make a break for it.
While a few of the suspects escaped, police did detain a total of 12 men. Four of them had to be treated for minor cuts and bruises because they jumped out of a window. They were taken to Banner Desert Medical Center. Two of those four people required surgery and were transferred Banner Good Samaritan Hospital.
At least one suspect fought with the officers who were trying to detain him, said Lt. Dave Hagar of the Mesa Police Department. That man was tazed before he was taken into custody.
"He ignored our commands and continued his aggressive actions toward the officer," Hagar said.
Police believe three of the people who fled were coyotes.
The men who were detained have been turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.