Caught on video: Man with crowbar later attacks, injures Las Cruces police officer

UPDATE: ABC-7 has obtained newly-released police video from earlier this month of the attack. You can see it in the video player above.

ORIGINAL REPORT: LAS CRUCES, New Mexico – A Las Cruces man accused of using a crowbar to break into a friend’s house and damage at least two vehicles has been arrested after police said he violently attacked an officer.

Word of that incident from Las Cruces authorities on Friday came just a day after El Paso police, in a separate incident caught on camera, charged a man with attempting to assault an officer with a hatchet.

In the Las Cruces case, police said Dominic Lopez, 36, was charged with aggravated assault on a peace officer, battery on a peace officer and resisting, evading or obstructing a peace officer.

Shortly before 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Las Cruces police said they responded to a report of a man using a crowbar to break into a home along the 1300 block of Gardner Avenue.

Investigators said the family that lives there knew Lopez but wouldn’t allow him to enter their home.

Officers found Lopez walking along Solano Avenue and told him to drop the crowbar and stop, but said he refused to comply.

At one point, police said Lopez finally did drop the crowbar but charged toward a police officer and struck the officer several times with his fists.

Police said the officer defended himself and used what they called non-lethal force to subdue Lopez.

The officer received multiple injuries to his face and jaw.

Lopez was booked into the Dona Ana County Detention Center on a $2,000 bond with 10 percent allowed.