Las Cruces Police ID One Suspect who Shot at Officers
Officers identify one of two men involved in the midday shots fired call in North-Central Las Cruces.
Officials tell ABC-7 20-year-old Jonathan Garcia and the other suspect fled from a traffic stop after one of the men fired shots at Las Cruces Police officers.
Garcia is described as Hispanic, 5-feet-7-inches tall with visible tattoos along his neck. He was wearing black pants and a white shirt. The second suspect is said to be a black male 5-feet-9-inches tall. He was wearing a white T-shirt and a navy blue hoodie.
Las Cruces Police officials tell ABC-7 that the initial call went out around 12:30 Friday afternoon, near Mulberry Avenue and Calle Sosa. LCPD officers were searching for a white truck that was involved in a burglary on Mountain Avenue. Officers spotted the truck stopped on a nearby street.
As the officers approached, the passenger stepped out of the truck and opened fire on the officer. The officer, who was not hit, could not return fire. Officers were able to take the driver of the truck into custody, but the shooter and another passenger ran off.
Three schools:Sierra Middle School, Loma Heights Elementary, and Booker T. Washington Elementary were immediately placed on lockdown as officers swarmed the area, searching for the gunman and the passenger.
Police say that students from Loma Heights Elementary and Booker T. Washington Elementary were released to their parents, or allowed to board busses, shortly after classes were excused for the day.
