Las Cruces police, with assistance from a Dona Ana County Sheriff’s Office deputy, arrested five juveniles suspected in a Thursday evening joyride that resulted in shots fired during an incident of road rage and the armed robbery of a woman.
The suspects are two 14-year-old boys, a 15-year-old boy, a 14-year-old girl, and a 12-year-old girl. All five juveniles are each charged with a second-degree felony count of armed robbery and a third-degree felony count of conspiracy. One of the 14-year-old boys, suspected of discharging a handgun while engaged in road rage with another vehicle, also faces a fourth-degree felony count of shooting at or from a motor vehicle. Names of the juveniles will not be released because of their ages.
About 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19, the Mesilla Valley Regional Dispatch Authority received the first of several calls of a dark color pickup driving erratically and with its lights off. Over the next half hour or so, police received several reports of the pickup driving erratically near Dr. King Way, off Mesa Drive, and along Highway 70 on the East Mesa. Police also learned of a road rage incident with shots-fired, involving the same pickup, near Mesa Drive and Highway 70.
About 9 p.m. Thursday, a Dona Ana County Sheriff’s Deputy pulled traffic on a blue Nissan Frontier matching the description of the pickup involved in the shots-fired call. The pickup was being driven by a 14-year-old boy with two juvenile girls inside the cab. The two other boys were riding in the bed of the pickup. The 14-year-old boy believed to be armed with a handgun led officers on a brief foot pursuit through an undeveloped area before he was captured.
Investigators learned the five juveniles were joyriding when they got into an incident of road rage with the driver of another vehicle. One of the 14-year-old boys, riding in the back of the pickup, is alleged to have fired at least one round from a handgun during the road rage.
Investigators also learned the juveniles committed an armed robbery at about 8:30 p.m. of a 19-year-old woman who was jogging near Porter Drive and Village Drive. The victim told investigators one of the boys pointed a handgun at her and forced her to hand over the jacket and shoes she was wearing. At the time of the traffic stop by the DASO deputy, the 12-year-old girl was wearing the jacket stolen from the victim. The victim’s shoes were found in the pickup.
All five juveniles were authorized to be held in custody.