LCPD: Man pointed gun at woman during road rage incident

Police arrested a man accused of pointing a gun at a woman during a road rage incident Tuesday morning.

Adam Cardenas Jr. 23, of the 700 block of Indian Hollow Road, is charged with one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Investigators learned the woman was traveling east on Lohman Avenue about 9 a.m. on Tuesday, April 9, 2019. The woman’s car was nearly struck by a sport utility vehicle that drifted into her lane, police said.

The woman told police she sounded her vehicle’s horn to avoid a crash. The woman watched as the driver of the SUV, an older-model maroon Chevrolet Tahoe, slowed down until the SUV was next to her vehicle. The passenger of the SUV then leaned out of his window and pointed a handgun at the woman.

The woman said she accelerated her vehicle, but the Tahoe caught up to her. The woman said the passenger again pointed the handgun and yelled obscenities at her. The SUV eventually turned left onto a side street.

The woman called 911 and relayed a description of the SUV to officers.

A Las Cruces Police officer spotted a vehicle matching the description near Spruce Avenue and Wingate Court. The officer conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle and the passenger was identified as Cardenas.

Upon patting down Cardenas, the officer located a black and tan 9mm handgun concealed in the suspect’s waistband. The gun had a round in the chamber and a loaded magazine was recovered from the passenger-side of the Tahoe.

Cardenas was arrested and booked into the Dona Ana County Detention Center where he’s initially being held without bond. No charges have been filed against the driver of the SUV.