Abiquiú man accused of firing shots amid road-rage incident
Oct. 16—Santa Fe police say a case of road rage on Interstate 25 late last week escalated to gunfire that struck a vehicle.
No one was injured in the incident Thursday, but an Abiquiú man was arrested on several charges.
Edward Reyes, 32, faces felony counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, shooting from a motor vehicle, tampering with evidence and possession of a firearm by a felon. He also was charged with criminal damage to property under $1,000, a petty misdemeanor.
Reyes was booked into the Santa Fe county jail Thursday afternoon and was still detained Monday.
According to a criminal complaint, the conflict began after another driver started driving too closely behind Reyes on the interstate outside Santa Fe.
The man told investigators he intentionally tailgated Reyes while heading northbound on the highway, the complaint states. Reyes was driving about 60 mph in the left lane of the interstate, where the speed limit is 75 mph, the man said. He was signaling his desire to pass, he said, which prompted Reyes to hit the brakes.
After he passed Reyes' sedan in the right lane, the driver told police, Reyes passed him and then "brake-checked" him again, resulting in a collision between the two vehicles.
The driver exited the interstate onto Cerrillos Road, he said, adding Reyes pursued him, so he called 911. He then heard three gunshots, the complaint states.
Police wrote in the complaint gunshots could be heard in the recording of the man's 911 call, and the man seemed to be in a state of distress.
"He is still shooting at me," the man reportedly told a 911 dispatcher. "He's trying to kill me."
Investigators noted damage to the back of the man's vehicle was consistent with a round striking it without penetrating it.
Reyes acknowledged he had "brake-checked" the other driver, police wrote in the complaint. The man had rear-ended his car repeatedly, he said, which caused his vehicle to spin out on the interstate.
Police interviewed a witness who said both drivers had been "road raging" from La Bajada to Santa Fe.
Reyes appeared Monday before Santa Fe County Magistrate John Rysanek for his arraignment. Prosecutors have filed a motion seeking an order for Reyes to remain detained until his trial. A hearing on the request will be heard in state District Court.
A public safety assessment filed in court notes Reyes has been found guilty of three or more violent crimes. He was convicted of multiple felonies in 2021 after he was accused of firing a gun from a vehicle in Valencia County.
