An Arizona Department of Public Safety officer drove himself to the hospital after he was shot at a traffic stop in Payson late Saturday night.
Officials say that 22-year-old Cody Archuleta shot the officer multiple times during the incident around 10 p.m., according to KNXV-TV.
Department spokesman Carrick Cook told the news station that the suspect began shooting at the officer through the vehicle's window as he approached.
The man then fled the scene and was pursued for about 40 miles along Route 87 before he stopped his vehicle in a field. Gunfire was exchanged by the Archuleta and another officer before the suspect fatally shot himself, Cook said.
Officials said the injured officer drove himself to a nearby hospital before being airlifted to a hospital in Phoenix.
"The fact that we've got people getting shot and then taking themselves to the hospital that says a lot," Cook said. "If they're willing to do that for themselves and they're in a career to help others, it can only offer comfort to the people in those communities to know these are the types of people looking out for them."
The 14-year veteran of the department was listed in a stable condition and out of surgery Sunday morning.
