‘Awesome job’: Retired LCPD trainer praises use of pit maneuver to stop cop killer

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico -- A retired police lieutenant spoke highly of a Las Cruces police officer's successful use of a pit maneuver in stopping a suspect who had already killed another officer.

“The officer that performed that maneuver did an awesome job," said retired Lt. Kerry Clements, who served in the Las Cruces Police Department for 20 years.

He also taught aspiring officers how to successfully perform a pit maneuver in the academy.

“The pit maneuver is probably one of the best maneuvers that has been brought into the area of law enforcement over the years," said Lt. Clements. "It is a precision move.”

An unidentified officer used the technique to stop Omar Felix Cueva's truck on Thursday, following a high speed chase from Deming on I-10. According to authorities, Cueva had already killed New Mexico State Police Officer Darian Jarrott.