Man in foot chase with Las Cruces Police dies after being Tasered

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico -- A Las Cruces man who fled from police on Saturday morning died after being Tasered by authorities, according to state police.

At about 2:30 a.m., a Las Cruces police officer pulled over a blue GMC pickup with expired insurance on 3 Crosses Avenue, near North Alameda, according to state police. That truck had two women and a man in the back seat not wearing a seatbelt.

The LCPD officer learned that the man - 40-year-old Antonio Valenzuela -had a bench warrant for his arrest from New Mexico Probation and Parole, according to a news release.

When the officer asked Valenzuela to get out of the truck, "he fled on foot," according to state police.

During the foot pursuit, the officer deployed his department issued Taser, ultimately handcuffing Valenzuela, authorities said. The suspect was described as "combative."

After he was handcuffed, officers said they noticed Valenzuela was "unresponsive" and called for emergency medical services, according to state police. He was pronounced dead on scene by the Office of Medical Investigator.  

The incident took place near the Las Cruces Central Seventh-day Adventist Church.

The New Mexico State Police Investigations Bureau is investigating the incident, according to state police. The Office of the Medical Investigator is also determining exactly how Valenzuela died.