Man faces federal charge in high-speed chase of stolen El Paso gas tanker into NM

UPDATE, Jan. 22: A Chaparral man who allegedly carjacked a gas tanker truck from University Medical Center, and then led police on a high-speed chase along I-10 from El Paso to the outskirts of Las Cruces, made an initial court appearance on Friday.

Noe Garcia, 32, appeared before a federal magistrate on a charge of Transportation of Stolen Goods, which prosecutors said carries a sentence of up to ten years in prison if convicted.

In an affidavit, the FBI said Garcia posed as a methamphetamine overdose patient to gain access to UMC where he would later jump a fence "like the Terminator" before forcibly removing the taker driver. He the fled in the tanker with about $5,000 worth of gasoline, the FBI said.

ORIGINAL REPORT, Jan. 21: DONA ANA COUNTY, New Mexico -- Police agencies from two states chased a stolen gas tanker truck out of El Paso on Thursday before finally catching up to it along Interstate 10 in New Mexico.

One person was in custody for allegedly swiping the tanker from a central El Paso location, New Mexico State Police said.

The high-speed chase, which also involved Texas Dept. of Public Safety troopers and a U.S. Border Patrol helicopter, came to an end on I-10 westbound at mile marker 132 in Dona Ana County after authorities deployed spike strips to flatten the tanker's tires.

No further details were immediately available.