Man charged with shooting at police officers
A San Miguel County man wanted for firing at police officers turned himself in Wednesday, according to New Mexico State Police.
Marcos F. Aragon, 30, was booked into the San Miguel County Detention Center Wednesday afternoon after being charged with three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer and other charges.
Hours earlier, around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, New Mexico State Police responded to a home southwest of I-25 and US-84, in rural San Miguel County, after receiving a report that a man had threatened to shoot someone. When officers arrived, a man told them he and his daughter had been riding recreational vehicles near the roadway when a pickup truck nearly hit his daughter. The man said the passenger in that pickup was yelling at them, and that he threatened to shoot them with a rifle, according to an arrest affidavit filed in San Miguel Magistrate Court.
Officers located the vehicle at a nearby home, and as they were speaking with the driver, Aragon exited the home “yelling” and acting “irate,” according to the affidavit. Family members and officers went inside the home to speak with Aragon, but Aragon shoved his father and a family member pinned Aragon to the ground. They allowed Aragon to get off the ground, and after spitting in the face of a family member, Aragon went to his bedroom.
According to Officer Dusty Francisco, an NMSP spokesman, Aragon ignored officers’ commands to exit the room.
“Officers observed Aragon grab for an unknown object near his bedroom door,” Francisco said. “At that point, officers retreated for their safety and evacuated other family members out of the residence.”
As they exited the home, police heard a gunshot, according to the affidavit. Officers took cover behind police vehicles and continued to hear gunshots coming from the home.
“Officers retreated from the property to a safe location where they continued to hear more gunshots being fired in the area of the residence,” Francisco said. “Officers contacted the Chief Deputy District Attorney Thomas Clayton and an arrest warrant was issued for Marcos Aragon.”
Francisco said that on Wednesday, Aragon’s attorney arranged for him to voluntarily surrender to police.
Officers met Aragon at his attorney’s office in Las Vegas, and according to Francisco, Aragon was taken into police custody “without incident.”
Aragon was charged with three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer, shooting at or from a motor vehicle and criminal damage to property, all felonies.
Aragon was also charged with negligent use of a deadly weapon and battery of a household member, both misdemeanors.
Aragon remained in custody at SMCDC as of this writing, and no hearings had been scheduled.
