Police say man fatally shot self after stealing Las Cruces officer’s car, crashing into school
UPDATE #3: Officials late Tuesday acknowledged it was a Las Cruces police officer's sedan that was stolen from an I-25 crash scene earlier in the day - and said the car thief fatally shot himself after later crashing into a school building.
Authorities indicated events started unfolding about 7 a.m. when an off-duty officer stopped to check on the driver of a car that he saw crash along the highway; the officer said the man exited his wrecked car, threatened the officer with a large knife before fleeing in the officer's black sedan - which had police equipment in the trunk.
Police said other officers spotted the stolen car at Amador Avenue and Solano Drive a short time later and attempted to pursue it as it crashed through a fence and into the Mesilla Valley Leadership Academy's building.
A SWAT team quickly surrounded the crashed stolen car and ordered the man out of the vehicle, but he didn't respond. Officers would later remove him unresponsive from the car and perform CPR.
Authorities said no police officers fired their weapons and the man was pronounced dead as a result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Investigators asked that any witnesses to Tuesday's events contact Las Cruces police at (575) 526-0795.
UPDATE #2: A Las Cruces city spokeswoman said a stolen car involved in a crash along Interstate 25 at milepost 0 on about 7 a.m. Tuesday was the vehicle that also later crashed into the north side of the Mesilla Valley Leadership Academy building.
The black sedan was towed away around 11:30 a.m. as authorities cleared the scene in central Las Cruces.
The spokeswoman didn't discuss word that the stolen car was a police vehicle; she also didn't provide any details on the condition of the suspect - who was observed being given CPR at the scene, although two sources with knowledge of the incident later said the man had died.
UPDATE/CORRECTION: An El Paso police spokesman told ABC-7 that a stolen vehicle crashing into a school building in Las Cruces Tuesday morning did not belong to their department.
It was unclear which agency the apparently unmarked police vehicle belonged to - and Las Cruces police and city officials didn't return repeated requests for comment about the incident.
ORIGINAL REPORT: LAS CRUCES, New Mexico -- A man driving an El Paso police stolen vehicle was chased through the streets of Las Cruces Tuesday morning before crashing into the north side of the Mesilla Valley Leadership Academy building, prompting a standoff with authorities and a lockdown of the school, sources told ABC-7.
An ABC-7 crew on scene observed the Las Cruces police SWAT team surrounding the vehicle as officers were trying to make contact with the person inside; at one point, an explosive noise - a loud boom - could be heard. Moments later, officers could be seen performing CPR on an individual.
The events were unfolding around the 800 block of East Lohman Avenue outside the school; authorities told the public to avoid the area - which was shutdown amidst a massive police presence that included LCPD's chief on scene.
Mesilla Valley Leadership Academy was placed on lockdown and parents were informed in a message from Las Crues Public Schools officials to stay clear of the school until further notice; no kids were present yet. Nearby Valley View Elementary School was sheltering in place.
