An early-morning SWAT callout resulted in the arrest of a man suspected of battering his ex-girlfriend and holding the woman against her will during an incident that occurred Monday.
Carlos Herrera, 36, of the 5300 blocks of Sunny Acres Drive, is charged with one first-degree felony count of kidnapping and one misdemeanor count of battery against a household member.
On Monday, July 27, Las Cruces police were dispatched to the report of a possible domestic incident outside a credit union on Foster Road. Officers arrived to find a woman with multiple injuries to her face, arms, and shoulders. She claimed the injuries were caused by Carlos Herrera, her boyfriend of one year.
Investigators learned that Herrera went to the woman’s home, uninvited, on Sunday evening and spent the night. The woman told investigators she and Herrera got into an argument that resulted in her cell phone getting broken.
Investigators learned that on Monday, Herrera ordered the woman to go with him to an ATM to withdraw money for him. The woman did not want to go, but Herrera allegedly ordered her to go. As Herrera began driving to the ATM, Herrera allegedly began punching the woman’s face and upper body. While Herrera was driving, the woman tried several times to get out of the vehicle. She was prevented from doing so by Herrera.
At some point during the drive, Herrera also allegedly put his hand over the woman’s mouth to stop her from screaming and briefly put his hand around her throat.
When Herrera exited the vehicle, the woman also got out and went to a nearby store. Police were called when the woman walked toward the credit union where Herrera tried to order her back into his car. Herrera fled before police arrived and his whereabouts were unknown. Investigators obtained a warrant for Herrera’s arrest and he was located at his home late Monday evening.
Police surrounded the home and tried to get Herrera to exit, but he refused multiple commands to do so. LCPD’s SWAT team was activated and took him into custody shortly after 1:30 a.m.
Herrera was booked into the Dona Ana County Detention Center where he is initially being held without bond.