Searching for marijuana on the Amtrak train results in fatal shots in Arizona

A fatal shootout aboard an Amtrak train in Arizona occurred Monday after law enforcement officers searched for marijuana, according to court documents filed in the case. Drug Enforcement Administration special agent Michael Garbo and a suspect identified only as DT were killed in the shooting at the Amtrak station in Tucson, Arizona, and two agents were injured on Monday morning.

A criminal complaint filed in the Arizona District Court on Tuesday states that agents boarded the train after it arrived at the station looking for drugs, smuggled money and weapons. Amtrak’s Sunset Limited, train 2, drove from New Orleans to Los Angeles and arrived in Tucson at 7:40 a.m.

Pima County’s Counter Narcotics Alliance DEA agents and police officers investigated a lead from Amtrak about a list of people traveling from Los Angeles to Texas. Agents watched two men on the list, DT and Devonte Okeith Mathis, who were sitting next to each other on the train.

Agents watched Mathis remove three bags about three or four rows from the men’s seats before returning to his original seat, the criminal complaint said. When the agents asked Mathis if the bags belonged to him, he denied the property and the agents removed the bags from the train.

More than five pounds of pot found on the train

When agents opened the bags on the platform, they found two packages of marijuana, including 2.39 kilograms of cannabis flowers, 50 packages of marijuana edibles and other cannabis products.

According to media reports, officials then got back on the train and tried to detain Mathis on the upper level of a double-decker car. At this point DT pulled out a handgun and began firing, hitting the DEA agents. The gunman then ran downstairs and locked himself in the toilet on the first level of the car when agents and cops returned fire. The suspect was later found dead in the bathroom.

The Tucson Police Department has notified the Arizona Republic that the investigation into the shootings has been taken over by the FBI. Brooke Brennan, an agency spokeswoman, said the FBI was working on the crime scene with assistance from the Tucson Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

DEA agent killed, two police officers wounded in gunfire

Two other police officers were injured in the shooting and taken to a hospital. DEA Administrator Anne Milgram, who also reported Garbo’s death, said a DEA special agent and a Tucson police officer serving on the task force are in stable condition.

“The DEA is deeply saddened to announce that Michael G. Garbo, supervisor of the DEA group, has died as a result of injuries sustained in the shooting,” Milgram said in a press release on Tuesday. “Group Supervisor Garbo joined DEA in 2005 and has served with honor as Special Agent and Group Supervisor in the fight against criminal drug traffickers from the Nogales Corridor to Kabul, Afghanistan for more than 16 years.”

At the time of filming, the Sunset Limited had 137 passengers and 11 crew members, according to a report from CNN. According to Amtrak spokesman Jason Abrams, no injuries have been reported among the passengers or crew and all have been evacuated from the train.

“I think it’s just incredible that no other people were injured here, even though we are so sad about the loss of the officer,” said Magnus.

Tucson police wrote in a Facebook post on Tuesday that “yesterday’s terrible shootings had an impact on the Tucson community and law enforcement families across Arizona. We mourn a heroic DEA agent and ask that you keep his family, friends, and fellow agents in your hearts and prayers. We are also grateful to the Tucson community for their support. We are grateful and proud of our officers who ran towards the sound of the gunshots. “

Mathis is accused of possessing less than 50 kilograms of a mixture or substance containing marijuana, the court records read.