A Las Cruces man charged with shoplifting is suspected of resisting arrest and physically assaulting the officer who took him into custody.
Javier Chacon, 29, of the 700 block of Edna Street, is charged with a felony count of battery upon a peace officer along with three misdemeanors: shoplifting; evading or obstructing an officer; and assault upon a peace officer.
Police were dispatched to the report of a shoplifting that occurred Sunday evening at the Circle K store at 617 W. Picacho Ave. Investigators learned a man with facial hair and wearing a black beanie stole a sandwich and a bag of chips from the store. He left on foot toward the nearby Lions Park.
The responding officer located the man, identified as Chacon, near the tennis courts at Lions Park. Chacon actively resisted when the officer tried to take him into custody. Chacon is also accused of trying to bite the officer before he head-butted and kicked the officer.
The officer’s injuries were relatively minor.
Officers located the black beanie in Chacon’s possession. Wrappers of the stolen items were found nearby.
Chacon was arrested and booked into the Dona Ana County Detention Center where he’s initially being held without bond.