2 men arrested after shooting 70-year-old volunteer police officer

Two men were arrested in Arizona after a 70-year-old volunteer police officer came under heavy fire outside a marijuana farm during a routine traffic violation inquiry on Thursday evening, the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office said.

The volunteer followed a speeding quad bike to the entrance of a residence near Ash Fork, about 140 miles north of Phoenix. When he exited his police car, he was shot in the hip by three of about twenty rounds aimed at him and his vehicle, according to a statement from sheriff’s office on Saturday.

The volunteer, who was not named, fled in his vehicle and was later taken to Flagstaff Medical Center. His injuries are not life-threatening, and he has undergone surgery, authorities said.

After police surrounded the residence and its many out buildings, Jason Niedermeyer, 24, and his father, Gregory, 49, were arrested and charged with attempted homicide and marijuana production, the sheriff’s office said.

Police found a large marijuana-growing operation, a sniper rifle and numerous other firearms, and several improvised pipe bombs during a search of the property. A bomb squad was sent to the scene.

Niedermeyer’s mother, Maria, was arrested and charged with production of marijuana.

Police were investigating whether the speeding quad bike driver deliberately lured the volunteer to the property and then ambushed him, the statement said. Niedermeyer told police that he and his father thought they were shooting at a full-time patrol deputy.