Las Crucen says family member unknowingly gave escaped inmate a ride

Police say the man who led them on a chase over the weekend and stole an SUV at gunpoint in El Paso has escaped custody and is once again on the run.

Michael Derby, 24, was arrested over the weekend after police say he led them on a chase in Las Cruces, went on a crime spree in El Paso, and was spotted again in Las Cruces in a stolen vehicle. The final chase in Las Cruces ended in a crash.

The Las Cruces Police Department says Derby was being examined at a medical clinic Wednesday night when he escaped.

Police say Derby ran to a nearby convenience store and stole a truck that was pulling a horse trailer with three horses inside. The owner of the truck was unharmed. The truck, trailer and the horses were recovered by police at a neighborhood about a mile away, but Derby was nowhere to be found.

Las Crucen Kyler Ginanni tells ABC-7 Derby showed up at his doorstep Wednesday night wearing a shirt, shorts and sandals.

“Apparently he knew one of our neighbors over here and that’s where we think he got his clothes from,” Ginanni said. “Because when he stole the truck he was butt naked and when he showed up at our door he had clothes on.”

Ginanni tells ABC-7 Derby claimed his truck ran out of gas, so his uncle gave him a ride. Ginanni said at the time, his uncle did not know he was an escaped inmate.

“He had said he was going to an ex-girlfriend’s (house) and for my uncle to drop him off down the street from her house,” Ginanni said.

After dropping Derby off on Alamo and Foster Drive, Ginanni says his uncle drove back home. That’s when he says, he realized he gave a ride a fugitive.

“10 to 15 minutes later, come to find out he’s an escaped inmate, it was pretty crazy,” Ginanni said.

Police are asking anyone with information to call the Las Cruces Police Department. If you see Derby, you are asked to call 911.