Man who allegedly pulled bloody knife on Las Cruces Police officers fails in $1 million civil lawsuit

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico (KVIA) -- A Las Cruces jury found Las Cruces Police Department officers did not use excessive force against Erick Lopez during his July 2022 arrest.
The civil trial started January 6, 2025, with the jury taking less than a day to come back with their decision after the case was handed over to them.
32-year-old Erick Lopez claimed that three Las Cruces Police Officers and a sergeant "used excessive force and battered him when taking him into custody" during the July 3, 2022 incident.
The officers had been called out to the 1200 block of Monte Vista Avenue on reports that Lopez was damaging property, according to a City of Las Cruces spokesperson.
"When officers made contact with Lopez, he was holding a bloody knife and appeared to have a firearm in his waistband," the city spokesperson explained. "During the interaction with police, Lopez placed his hands directly over the firearm several times."
The city says that the "firearm" ended up being a replica pellet gun. The officers used "less-lethal force," according to the city spokesperson, to take Lopez into custody. No gunshots were fired, officials say.
Lopez had been seeking $1 million in damages, but with the jury's decision the city is not liable for damages and will pay nothing, officials tell ABC-7.
“When an officer makes a mistake, there is accountability. Just as important, when an officer does their job, we will stand behind them all the way to the finish line,” Las Cruces Police Department Chief Jeremy Story said after the trial concluded.