In the hours before Jared Lee Loughner allegedly tried to assassinate Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) and killed six others, his father chased him into the desert as he carried a mysterious black bag in his hand, the Associated Press reported.
Police also said that at 7:30 a.m. that same morning, Loughner was stopped by a wildlife officer after he ran a red light but was let off with a warning, according to the AP. The officer, the Arizona Game and Fish Department said, looked at Loughner’s driver’s license and vehicle registration information but found no outstanding warrants on Loughner or his vehicle.
“He had a valid license, the car was registered, he had insurance,” spokesman Jim Paxon told the AP. “He was warned and released because we had no probable cause to hold, or do an extensive search.”
Neither AP account says what time the suspect’s father, Randy Loughner, hopped into his truck and chased his 22-year-old son in the desert after the alleged shooter grabbed a black bag out of the trunk of a family car, and it isn’t clear whether that confrontation came before or after Loughner was pulled over by the officer. Investigators, the AP said, are still searching for the bag.
