MESA, Ariz. — Two special agents with the FBI were shot while attempting to serve a search warrant Friday morning at a home in Arizona, according to reports.
A man suspected of being a serial bank robber was found dead inside, FOX 10 reported.
The agents were shot as they approached the suspect’s home in Mesa serving a search warrant around 6 a.m. They also had an arrest warrant for the suspect.
“Come out with your hands up!” one of the agents could be heard yelling to the suspect on cell phone video of the incident, FOX 10 reported. “This is the FBI. We have a warrant.”
One agent was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries and has since been released and the other agent was treated for minor wounds at the scene, KPHO-TV reported.
Two FBI agents are recovering after being shot in Mesa this morning. The FBI says they were investigating a suspected serial bank robber who is now deceased.#Fox10Phoenix pic.twitter.com/R2yLGFL9p2
— Brian Webb (@BWebbFox10) July 17, 2020
“The FBI guy was down,” witness Michael Scott told FOX 10. “He took off his jacket. He was all right. I think it went through his vest. He was bleeding.”
The suspect was identified as Abraham Rivera, 49. He was under investigation as a suspect in connection with at least four robberies of commercial banks throughout the Valley from 2019 to 2020. One robbery was at a US Bank in Tempe on June 28, 2019, while another was on July 31, 2019, at another US Bank in Gilbert. A third US Bank was targeted in Phoenix on August 29, 2019, and hit again on July 3 of this year.
The circumstances of Rivera’s death were not revealed.