Las Cruces man sentenced to 54 years for attempted murder in police shootout

Update (March 22, 2024): A judge sentenced Crawford to 54 years in prison.

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico (KVIA) -- A jury found 47-year-old Bobby Charles Crawford guilty of two counts of attempted first-degree murder, two counts of aggravated assault on a peace officer, aggravated fleeing from an officer, and shooting at/from a car.

Court documents state that on June 21, 2023, New Mexico State Police and Las Cruces Police tried to take Crawford into custody on an outstanding warrant. Crawford tried to get away. Police chased him through a few neighborhoods before he drove into a desert area east of Holman Road.

Officials say that Crawford fired at police cars and the responding officers returned fire. They explain that Crawford barricaded himself inside his car before surrendering.

ABC-7 covered this story when it happened. We obtained body camera footage of the shootout. Watch that footage here.