Savannah Graziano: Teen and kidnapper father die in police shootout after miles-long chase
FONTANA, CALIFORNIA: A teenager and her father who abducted her were killed in a highway shootout with police in California Tuesday, September 27. Savannah Graziano, 15, was allegedly kidnaped by her father Anthony Graziano, who is accused of killing her mother on Monday, September 26, in Fontana. The girl was the subject of an Amber Alert after the killing of her mother, Tracy Martinez.
Savannah, 15, was killed after her father Anthony, 45, opened fire during a miles-long vehicle chase on Tuesday, September 27, as per San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus, reported Fox News. The incident began when The San Bernardino Sheriff's department received a call from an aware citizen who claimed that they spotted Anthony's Nissan Frontier, which was mentioned in the Amber Alert, in Barstow. The Amber Alert warned that Anthony was armed and dangerous as he was on the run since Monday after killing Martinez. Dicus explained that Savannah ran toward the authorities in tactical gear during the shootout. However, it was not clarified whether the girl was struck by bullets fired by her father or responding deputies.
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Savannah was taken to the hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries shortly before noon. Anthony was pronounced dead on the spot. Dicus explained that the case was "highly complex" during a press conference and said, "There may be some indications that the passenger of the vehicle which we believe is Savannah may have been involved in some of the fire exchange. There may be some information that the passenger was involved in firing back at the deputies and we’re still trying to confirm that at this point."
A deputy involved shooting occurred and the suspect & passenger were struck by gun fire. The male suspect is deceased at the scene and the female passenger was transported to an area hospital.
— San Bernardino County Sheriff (@sbcountysheriff) September 27, 2022
I-15 at Main St is shut down and is expected to remain closed for scene processing.
San Bernardino County Sheriff posted on Twitter, "A deputy involved shooting occurred and the suspect & passenger were struck by gun fire. The male suspect is deceased at the scene and the female passenger was transported to an area hospital. I-15 at Main St is shut down and is expected to remain closed for scene processing." The police also explained that the investigators found a rifle inside the suspect's truck. The officials further report that the investigators may take up to 24 hours to find new case-related information due to the wide-spanning area where bullets were fired.