Suspect pulled over hours before Arizona killing spree, took cab to kill

Suspect pulled over hours before Arizona killing spree
Wildlife officer checked Loughner's papers, found no probable cause to hold him
By Ben Conery-The Washington Times7:46 p.m., Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Only a few hours before a shooting rampage that killed six people and gravely wounded Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, Arizona Democrat, a state wildlife officer pulled over the suspected killer after he apparently ran a red light, authorities said Wednesday.

The officer from the Arizona Game and Fish Department gave Jared Loughner, 22, a warning after a check of his driver's license and vehicle registration found no outstanding warrants.

"He had a valid license; the car was registered; he had insurance," Games and Parks spokesman Jim Paxon said. "He was warned and released because we had no probable cause to hold or do an extensive search."

Mr. Paxon said wildlife officers usually do not make traffic stops unless public safety is at risk, such as running a red light.

Before the 7:30 a.m. stop, authorities said Mr. Loughner, who is in jail and faces federal charges that could bring the death penalty, argued with his father, Randy. Police said the young man ran from his family's Tucson home into the desert to escape his angry father, who chased him after seeing him remove a black bag from the trunk of a family car. Investigators are still searching for the bag.

At 10 a.m., police said, Mr. Loughner took a cab to a Tucson supermarket where Mrs. Giffords was holding a meet-and-greet event. Authorities said Mr. Loughner, a loner who displayed paranoid and frequently anti-government views in numerous Internet postings, targeted the congresswoman before firing indiscriminately into the crowd, stopping only when bystanders subdued him.
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Suspect pulled over hours before Arizona killing spree