FOX 10 Phoenix reported that two masked men crashed a stolen car into a Phoenix gun store and took two rifles, according to police. Nobody has been charged or convicted in connection with what was reported, and the investigation is in the hands of law enforcement. What follows is not about any individual; it is about the legal problem that an incident like this creates for anyone who is hurt, or whose property is destroyed, when the vehicle involved was not the driver's own.
When a vehicle that was reported stolen is crashed into a building, a parked car, or a person, the injured party usually cannot rely on the ordinary path to compensation. A driver who takes a car without permission is not an insured under the owner's policy, and the owner is generally not liable for how a thief drives. That leaves two practical sources: the injured person's own uninsured motorist coverage, which Arizona insurers must offer in writing and which applies when the at-fault driver is unidentified or uninsured, and a direct claim against the driver personally if that driver is identified and has assets. Property damage to a building or inventory is typically handled first by the owner's commercial policy, which may then pursue the driver. Deadlines still run during a criminal investigation; most Arizona injury suits must be filed within two years under A.R.S. § 12-542.
Uninsured Motorist Coverage Is Usually the Real Source of Recovery
Uninsured motorist (UM) coverage is the part of your own auto policy that steps into the shoes of a driver who has no insurance or who is never identified. It is the coverage that matters most after a crash involving a stolen vehicle, because the car owner's liability insurance will almost always deny a claim arising from unauthorized use.
Two points people get wrong. First, UM coverage follows the person, not just the car; it can apply if you were a pedestrian or a passenger, depending on policy language. Second, making a UM claim is not suing your own insurer out of spite, and it is not supposed to raise your rates for a crash you did not cause. It is a benefit you already paid for.
Read the policy before you give a recorded statement. UM claims carry their own notice requirements and cooperation clauses, and insurers do enforce them.
Leaving the Scene and the Criminal Case Are Separate From Your Claim
Arizona law at A.R.S. § 28-661 requires a driver involved in an accident resulting in death or serious physical injury to stop at the scene and remain there. A criminal charge under that statute, or under any other, is prosecuted by the state; it does not pay your medical bills and it does not repair your building.
Your civil claim is independent. You do not need a conviction, and you do not need to wait for one. What you do need is the police report number, the names of the investigating officers if they are given to you, and a written request for the report once it is released. If an insurer later argues you share responsibility, Arizona applies pure comparative fault under A.R.S. § 12-2505, which reduces recovery by your percentage of fault rather than barring it.
What to Do in the First Days
Get evaluated medically, even if you walked away. Adrenaline hides head and soft tissue injuries, and a gap between the incident and the first medical visit is the single most common argument an adjuster uses to discount a claim.
Photograph everything before it is cleaned up: structural damage, debris, glass, vehicle resting positions, and the surrounding area. Preserve any surveillance video from your own cameras immediately and send a written preservation request to neighboring businesses, since most systems overwrite within days or weeks.
Notify your own insurer promptly, including under the UM portion of the policy, and keep the notification in writing. Do not give a recorded statement to any insurer before you understand which coverages are in play. Finally, note the deadlines: two years for most injury suits under A.R.S. § 12-542, and if a government entity or employee is somehow involved, a notice of claim within 180 days under A.R.S. § 12-821.01.
If you were injured or your property was damaged in an incident like this, our Phoenix car accident attorneys can walk you through which policies actually apply.