Carjacking suspect who died identified as man accused of stabbing his dog last year

LAS CRUCES - The man police believe carjacked a police officer last week was identified to Sun-News by multiple sources familiar with the matter.

Dagoberto Jimenez, 28, is the man who police say carjacked an off-duty officer, led police on a brief pursuit, crashed into a school on Amador Avenue, then took his own life on Nov. 9.

The City of Las Cruces said that Las Cruces Police Department would not confirm the man's identity because of the nature of his death. Mandy Guss, the city's communication director, did confirm that police had notified the man's family of his death.

The incident last week wasn't Jimenez's first time in the news.

In December 2020, the Doña Ana County Sheriff's office posted on Facebook that Jimenez stabbed his dog 29 times. At the time, an animal control officer described the incident as one of the worst she'd seen.

The dog, a six-year-old bull terrier named Gucci, has since recovered. Jimenez was charged with two counts of extreme animal cruelty, both fourth-degree felonies. Jimenez pleaded not guilty to the charges and his trial had not yet been scheduled.

A judge granted Jimenez a $5,000 secured bond, and Jimenez posted the bond in June. He was released from jail shortly after.

Justin Garcia is a public safety reporter for the Las Cruces Sun-News. He can be reached at JEGarcia@lcsun-news.com or on Twitter @Just516garc.

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This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Carjacking suspect who died identified as man accused of stabbing his dog