Man Allegedly Drives Semi-Truck Into El Paso Bar

El Paso Police have arrested a Chaparral, New Mexico man who allegedly drove a semi-truck into the Iron Horse Saloon late Thursday in Northeast El Paso.

Police said the investigation revealed that Joel Spencer, 51, of the 2500 block of Nike Air in Chaparral, had been at the Iron Horse Saloon when he allegedly became engaged in a verbal altercation with the bar staff at about 10:51 p.m. Thursday. The altercation became physical when three bar patrons removed Spencer from the bar, when he allegedly refused to leave as asked. Spencer allegedly returned with a wooden “tire thumper,” and a knife moments later.

Again, the three patrons removed him from the bar. Spencer then got into a 1996 Freightliner Tractor that was parked in the parking lot, revved the engine, and allegedly drove the tractor into the bar building where patrons were inside. When the semi-truck became engaged with the building and stuck, Spencer allegedly continued to gas the engine to move the tractor further into the bar building.

Spencer then fled the Iron Horse and headed west on Hondo Pass. Spencer was stopped at Gateway North and Hondo Pass by units that were responding to the Iron Horse Saloon regarding this incident.

The semi-truck which had damage to the unit, no head lights, was littered with wood and building materials that stuck to the tractor. One patron of the bar was transported to UMC for treatment of injuries caused by flying cinder blocks from the collision.

Spencer was placed under arrest for eight counts of Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon, one count of Evading Arrest for Detention, and one count of Criminal Mischief. He was booked into the El Paso County Jail on a bonds totaling $730,000.