Man allegedly points gun at woman during road rage incident

A man blamed for a road rage incident in which he allegedly pointed a gun at a woman is facing two felony counts.

Las Cruces police charged 22-year-old Jacob Evan Avillar-Franzoy, of 3650 Morningstar Drive, with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and a single count of reckless driving.

The incident allegedly happened Sunday, June 19, 2016 at about 1 p.m. Detectives learned a 43-year-old woman was driving west on Amador Avenue when a black Jeep Rubicon cut her off near the intersection of Alameda Boulevard. The woman told police she switched lanes and drove around the Jeep, when she noticed the driver, later identified as Avillar-Franzoy, appeared to be pointing a handgun at her.

ABC-7’s New Mexico Mobile Newsroom obtained an audio recording of the victim’s 911 call.

“I’m in a black car, he pulled out a silver gun and he’s following me. He has a gun and he’s getting ready to hit my car! ” the woman is heard saying in the 911 call.

As the two vehicles continued west on Amador, the woman was able to see in the rear view mirror Avilla-Franzoy was still allegedly pointing the gun at her. Avillar-Franzoy continued to drive aggressively and tailgated the woman until Motel Boulevard, police said.

The 911 operator is heard asking the victim if she knows her way to the Dona Ana County Sheriff’s Office. At one point, the victim tries to give the operator the license plate number of Avillar-Frenzoy’s Jeep.

The woman and man proceeded south on Motel Boulevard, which turns into Calle de El Paso, until they came to a stop at Avenida de Mesilla. While there, Avillar-Franzoy allegedly exited the Jeep and tried to confront the woman, who drove away.

Avillar-Franzoy was detained during a traffic stop along Avenida de Mesilla. Detectives obtained a search warrant for the Jeep and allegedly found a .45 caliber semiautomatic handgun and two magazines inside the vehicle.

Avillar-Franzoy was booked into the Dona Ana County Detention Center. He is out on bond.