CASA GRANDE, Ariz. - A Pinal County sheriff's deputy is hanging for dear life after he's shot by a group of suspected illegal immigrants Friday. It happened during a traffic stop on the I-8 west of Casa Grande and south of Phoenix. The deputy stopped a vehicle containing a group of suspected illegal immigrants when he was shot.
He radioed in to report he was shot in the abdomen with an AK-47 assault rifle while in a desert area, Pinal County Sheriff's spokeswoman Tamatha Villar says.
The deputy stayed on the line with authorities to help guide them to his location. A DPS Ranger helicopter with a paramedic has landed and is airlifting the deputy to a hospital.
The Pinal County Sheriff's Office tactical team are also searching for five more suspects, who fled. So far, two people have been caught.
Customs and Border Protection agents stationed in Tucson are also on their way to help in the search, and are equipped with night-vision technology in case the manhunt extends into the night.
Traffic in the area is also being impacted.
The shooting comes on the heels of the passage of a controversial Arizona immigration enforcement law.