Albuquerque Police Officer Shoot Suspect As He Pulls a Gun From His Pocket
Posted on
June 22,2023
Albuquerque, New Mexico — On May 16, 2023, A citizen called 911 at 2:01 p.m. to report that she saw two males walk into an apartment at 6201 Anderson Ave., S.E. She stated one of the males was carrying a machine gun. An officer who was familiar with the people who reside in the apartment and their associates contacted an Investigative Support detective who positively identified Isaiah Espinosa, who had felony arrest warrants for a homicide and an armed robbery. ISU detectives arrived and started to conduct mobile surveillance. They identified Espinosa and three others get into a Chevy sedan and drive through the neighborhood. The sedan arrived at a parking lot at a different apartment complex located at 201 Adams St., S.E. The driver backed the vehicle into the parking space.
Detectives watched Espinosa get in and out of the car during a period of about 20 minutes. The ISU sergeant decided to initiate contact and take Espinosa into custody. The sergeant drove his unmarked car to the nose of the suspect vehicle, while two other detectives arrived in an unmarked truck that drove up to the passenger side of the suspect vehicle, blocking the suspects from being able to open either passenger door. Espinosa and another male, later identified as David Baldonado, exited the front and rear driver side doors and ran westbound on Silver Ave., S.E. Officers who were positioned west of the scene were waiting for them and took them into custody. As the ISU sergeant exited his vehicle, the detective in the passenger side of the truck said he saw a third male who was in the suspect vehicle point a black firearm in the direction of the sergeant.
The detective later told investigators he did not fire his weapon because he saw a female who was still inside the car with the third male, later identified as 18-year-old Isaac Reyes. Reyes eventually exited the car and ran westbound on Silver Ave. As he ran, detectives said they saw Reyes pull a firearm out of the pocket of his shorts. The sergeant yelled, “gun,” and the detective in the truck discharged his duty-issued rifle, striking him one time. Reyes was transported to the hospital and treated for his wounds. He was arrested and booked into the Metro Detention Center following his release from the hospital. The other two males who attempted to flee from officers were also arrested. Isaiah Espinosa, the 16-year-old the target of the apprehension effort, was arrested on his felony warrants for homicide and armed robbery. David Baldonado, 21, was arrested for his outstanding Felony Warrants for Aggravated Battery with a Deadly Weapon Household Member, Aggravated Battery (Strangulation or suffocation) Household Member, Kidnapping and Interference with Communications.
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