Police: Las Vegas man leaped from stolen SUV before canyon plunge

PRESCOTT VALLEY, Ariz. — A suspected vehicle thief from Las Vegas who led police on a 60-mile chase in central Arizona jumped out of an SUV just before it flew over a cliff and crashed into a canyon, authorities said.

The chase started Monday night when a state trooper spotted a stolen Mercedes SUV in Phoenix, and John Felipe Jaimes refused to stop, Department of Public Safety spokesman Bart Graves said.

Graves said a DPS helicopter followed the 29-year-old as he drove north on Interstate 17 and headed into Yavapai County, where he made two unsuccessful carjacking attempts.

An officer saw Jaimes bailing out of the car around Prescott Valley just before it went over the cliff, Graves said. He was later found hiding on a tree on the canyon’s rim and was treated for minor injuries.

Jaimes was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving, theft of means of transportation, failing to comply with officers and other counts.

It was unclear whether he had an attorney.

No other injuries were reported.