Man accused of leading police on chase along El Paseo, other city streets, faces judge

Justin Garcia, Las Cruces Sun-News
·4 min read

Editor's note: This car chase is different from the pursuit that occurred on Dec. 19. Although similarities in alleged circumstance and location exist, the incidents are unrelated.

LAS CRUCES – A judge ordered a man remain in jail Tuesday after prosecutors argued his alleged history of stealing cars reached dangerous levels last week.

Coty Eugene Jimenez, 30, stands charged with three counts of aggravated fleeing a law enforcement officer, two counts of aggravated battery upon a peace officer, and one count of receiving or transferring a stolen vehicle.

But Jimenez's current slate of charges, and the allegations contained within, were just one piece of the prosecutor's argument that Jimenez is dangerous. Court records show that Jimenez is also the defendant in another pending case from 2021. That case includes charges of shoplifting, conspiracy to commit shoplifting and embezzlement of a motor vehicle.

In the 2021 case, police believe Jimenez borrowed a friend's car and refused to return it before stealing over $500 worth of jeans from JCPenney last year.

Court records also show that Jimenez has been arrested dozens of times for stealing cars, failing to return vehicles he's borrowed, and a slew of misdemeanors in New Mexico and Texas.

A chase along El Paseo

While the context of previous arrests played a role in the judge's order, they were not why Jimenez was in court this week.

According to an affidavit, police believe Jimenez stole a white 2003 Chevy Blazer on Dec. 14. Shortly after patrol officers became aware of the vehicle's description, Officer Jason Hayes informed others that he'd spotted the vehicle and would try to pull the SUV over.

Hayes said in the affidavit that he tried to stop the SUV along Branding Iron Circle, a neighborhood near the Avenida De Mesilla and Main Street intersection. But, as he activated his lights and sirens, Hayes said Jimenez took off.

Shortly after, Hayes broke off the chase for safety reasons.

But as Jimenez merged onto Avenida De Mesilla, Officer Juan Gomez spotted the SUV running a light and turning onto Main Street, heading toward downtown.

Gomez gave chase.

According to the affidavit, Jimenez turned off Main Street and onto Wyatt Drive, heading toward El Paseo Road. Gomez said that SUV swerved across the lanes of Wyatt Drive before reaching the El Paseo intersection.

Initially, Gomez said he intended to break off the chase until Jimenez collided with a van at the El Paseo intersection and crossed into the Albertsons parking lot.

The chase continued along East Idaho Avenue with multiple officers in pursuit.

Gomez said Jimenez wrecked again, this time into a parked car just past Locust Street. With Jimenez stopped, Gomez and the officers said in the affidavit they moved to surround the SUV.

Instead, Jimenez rammed Gomez's police unit as Gomez attempted to retrieve a police dog in his back seat. Jimenez then used the opportunity he created to flee, driving into the adjacent neighborhoods, Gomez said. Speeding through the neighborhoods near East Idaho Avenue, Gomez said he managed to pull alongside Jimenez and spin him out using a PIT maneuver.

In court

Jimenez was arrested after police wrecked the stolen SUV.

After his first appearance in magistrate court, Jimenez appeared before 3rd Judicial District Judge Conrad Perea Tuesday afternoon.

There, prosecutors argued that the affidavit detailing Jimenez's alleged actions on Dec. 14, plus his pending case from 2021, plus the dozens of arrests accumulated in the last decade pointed toward two conclusions; first, that Jimenez was dangerous and, second, that no bond would ensure that Jimenez followed the law and protect the public.

Jimenez's lawyer, Mario Carreon, pointed out that the affidavit contained a lot of "legal conclusions." For example, at several points, Gomez said that Jimenez drove past pedestrians leading Gomez to assume those people feared for their safety. Those conclusions did not mount strong evidence, Carreon said.

Carreon added that Jimenez could stay with his grandmother if released and that she could watch over him until a trial was held.

But Perea said Jimenez's pattern of alleged actions signaled to him that Jimenez was a danger to the public and that no bond could ensure Jimenez obeyed the law.

"You broke a new law," Perea said. "And you were arrested again."

Perea ordered that Jimenez remains in jail until his case goes to trial or ends another way.

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

This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Man accused of leading police on chase along El Paseo, other city streets, faces judge