Carjacker who led police on high speed chase in EP and DA counties sentenced

Michael Derby, the man convicted of carjacking an SUV and briefly kidnapping its owner at gunpoint in El Paso before leading authorities on a car chase in New Mexico, was sentenced Tuesday to five years in prison.

Derby’s attorney tells ABC-7 his client could get out of prison after serving half his sentence if he has good behavior.

The alleged carjacking happened in May 2016.

The 24-year-old Derby, of the 9500 block of Rigel Street in Dona Ana County, was convicted on a slew of charges, including Aggravated Assault Upon a Peace Officer, two counts of Aggravated Fleeing from a Law Enforcement officer and one count of Being in Possession of a Stolen Vehicle.

In El Paso, Derby is charged with one count of Aggravated Kidnapping and one count of Aggravated Robbery.

A Las Cruces Police officer pulled over Derby as he was driving a Nissan Maxima near Rigsby Road and Barker Road.

As the officer questioned the couple, he say a handgun near Derby’s feet. The officer gave commands for Derby to keep his hands in view but Derby allegedly disobeyed the officer and drove away.

Derby drove south on Stern Drive toward Vado. Investigators said a Dona Ana County Sheriff’s deputy tried to deploy a stop stick in front of Derby’s vehicle but Derby drove directly toward the deputy, nearly striking him.

Derby then allegedly drove onto I-10 where he led officers on a chase toward El Paso. Shortly thereafter, El Paso Police learned Derby allegedly pointed a handgun at the owner of a Mitsubishi Montero and forced the 29-year-old man into the SUV on the 1600 block of Northwestern in El Paso.

Derby drove to a gas station at North Desert Road near Trans Mountain Road where he allegedly forced the man to put $20 worth of gas into the tank. Police say the man ran away, hiding behind the gas station.

Derby allegedly fled in the stolen Montero heading back north to Las Cruces. Later that morning, a sheriff deputy in Dona Ana County spotted the stolen Montero in Las Cruces and pulled Derby over at 1570 W. Picacho Ave.

The deputy ordered Derby to exit the vehicle but, instead, Derby allegedly sped away and led officers on a second car chase that initially went south on Valley Drive and east on Brownlee Avenue. During the second pursuit, Derby is accused of twice attempting to strike a deputy with the stolen SUV.

The pursuit continued north through Las Cruces and into the unincorporated county east of I-25. Las Cruces Police officers finally stopped the vehicle on Windmill Road just off La Reina Road. Derby allegedly continued to ignore the officer’s orders to exit the SUV and had to be forcefully removed.

Investigators said four marked LCPD units were damaged during the two pursuits.

ESCAPE FROM JAIL

After his arrest, Derby allegedly escaped from custody at Memorial Medical Center.

Dona Ana County Jail Director Chris Barela told ABC-7 Derby was transported to the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners Unit (SANE), which is in the same area as MMC.

According to Barela, Derby was taken to the medical center because he claimed he had been raped by other inmates at the Dona Ana County Jail. Barela says that personnel at the SANE unit said they needed Derby’s restraints off to examine him.

Barela said Derby needed to use restroom, and that’s when he allegedly made a run for it. Barela tells ABC-7 that he thinks the escape was planned and the rape story by Derby was likely contrived.

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 in central Las Cruces Wednesday night. Derby was nowhere to be found.

SECOND ARREST

Days later, Derby was found walking two blocks away from a police station at the corner of Picacho Avenue and Alameda Boulevard.

A passerby called 911 after seeing a pedestrian, later identified as Derby, experience a medical emergency.

Police told ABC-7’s New Mexico Mobile Newsroom Derby was in “very poor condition.”

At the time, police told ABC-7 they did not know if Derby was walking to the police station to turn himself in.