The instincts of a Safford Police officer helped him discover a stolen car early Oct. 29 before it was reported stolen.

According to officer Herschel Medlin’s report, he was observing traffic at the intersection of Highways 191 and 70 at around 2:20 a.m. when he noticed two vehicles pass by, a maroon four-door Oldsmobile and a gold four-door Chevy Malibu. He reported he noticed the drivers’ heads turn toward him several times.

After watching the vehicles park in front of a residence in the 300 block of First Avenue, Medlin maneuvered his patrol car to an empty parking lot and continued his surveillance. Soon after, two male occupants drove away in the Malibu and Medlin decided to follow it. After a series of turns, the Malibu parked in front of a residence on Third Street.

It was later found out that the Malibu had been stolen and the victim assaulted.

Medlin approached the vehicle and asked what the subjects were doing. The driver, later identified as Chi Hubert, allegedly replied that they were “just out driving this car around.”

Medlin asked who the car belonged to, and neither Hubert nor his passenger, Tremaine Mc-Clellan, could answer. McClellan is a basketball player for Eastern Arizona College.

EAC spokesperson Todd Haynie told the Courier that while the college has not taken any disciplinary action against McClellan at this time, it will take immediate action when the facts warrant it.

Both subjects could not produce identification or find the registration to the car. Medlin also noted that Hubert had several cell phones on his person.

After Mirandizing the subjects, Hubert told Medlin a girl named Sophia had given him the car keys and told him to take it for a drive, according to the report.

After learning the names of the registered owners of the vehicle, who are father and son, Medlin contacted the father, who said he did not know who the two subjects were. Medlin and officer Luke Arbizo drove the subjects to the residence where Medlin first saw them. Upon arriving, both subjects pointed to a female in the front yard and said she was Sophia.

The female identified herself as Delphina Manuel and said she had nothing to do with the Malibu.

After receiving permission from Manuel and the homeowner to search the residence for the owner of the Malibu, Medlin reported seeing a pistol lying on a bed in plain view.

The gun came back as being stolen from Tucson.

Shortly thereafter, the victim’s family called police and said they had found their son and that he had been beaten up.

After being interviewed by a Graham County deputy at the Mount Graham Regional Medical Center, it was determined that the victim had been assaulted, robbed and carjacked near the Graham County Fairgrounds by two males and a female. The victim’s description of his attackers’ car fit that of the Oldsmobile.

Hubert, McClellan and Manuel were booked into the Graham County Jail on charges of aggravated robbery, aggravated assault, possession of stolen property and theft. Manuel was also booked on the charge of possession of a stolen firearm.