Colorado man accused of attempted homicide by vehicle stemming from chases
Oct. 23—A Colorado man who police say led them on two chases in the Pecos and Glorieta areas on Thursday is accused in court documents of trying to commit homicide by vehicle.
State police filed a statement of probable cause and a nine-count criminal complaint in San Miguel Magistrate Court on Friday, describing the incidents that led to Aurelio Carrasco's arrest.
According to the probable cause statement, when state police stopped Carrasco in a stolen van on Frontage Road 2116 on Thursday afternoon, Carrasco fled from the stop and drove north in the southbound lanes of Interstate 25. The affidavit says Carrasco then drove straight toward two officers who were assisting with the pursuit.
"Both officers observed the vehicle driving straight toward them in the wrong direction," wrote Officer Alfredo Moya. "Officer Jackson was forced to conduct an evasive vehicle maneuver to avoid colliding head on with Mr. Carrasco, immediately after Officer Archuleta had to conduct an evasive maneuver. Officers Jackson and Archueta were both in fear tor their lives during this time."
According to Moya's affidavit, Carrasco was "driving recklessly and intentionally trying to collide with the motorists" and ended up hitting a white Ryder moving truck head-on. The driver, Moya wrote, "suffered significant injuries from a broken femur and a severely damaged knee cap."
After this crash, Carrasco fled into the woods on foot somewhere between Rowe and Ilfeld. Police tracked his shoeprints to a heavily wooded and rocky area near Rowe Mesa, taking him into custody around 7:30 p.m.
Carrasco is facing eight other charges: indecent exposure, assault with intent to commit a violent felony, two counts of aggravated fleeing a law enforcement officer, two counts of aggravated assault upon a peace officer with a deadly weapon, leaving the scene of an accident and failure to give information and render aid.
He was being held in San Miguel County jail as of Saturday, according to jail records.
Thursday's mayhem started late in the morning when a man police believe to be Carrasco exposed himself to a couple at the Shell gas station in Pecos, flashed a handgun at them and made comments about killing them and killing police.
State police located Carrasco's vehicle and chased him down N.M. 50; police say Carrasco side-swiped two vehicles while driving on the wrong side of the road as he fled, eventually crashing his truck and fleeing into the woods on foot.
Early Thursday afternoon, police received a call about a break-in on Pigeon Road — the homeowner said she saw a male matching Carrasco's description fleeing her property. Based on his shoeprints, officers determined he was likely fleeing toward the Glorieta campground. A couple of hours later, Carrasco resurfaced when, police said, he flirted with a woman at the campground and then stole her van, precipitating the second chase that ended in Carrasco's capture.
