Man accused of threatening couple, causing multiple crashes
Oct. 21—Police arrested a Colorado man who, they said, engaged them in multiple vehicle pursuits and crashed into several other vehicles Thursday after being accused of exposing his genitals and displaying a firearm to a married couple at a gas station.
In a news release late Thursday evening, police said they arrested Aurelio Carrasco about 7:30 p.m. after a helicopter search crew spotted him on a mountain about six miles south of Rowe and west of I-25. He was taken to a hospital in Santa Fe to be treated for injuries sustained over the course of an hours-long flight from law enforcement.
It all started about 10:45 a.m. in Pecos when officers were approached by a man who said he and his wife were at Griego's gas station on N.M. 50 when a man, later identified as Carrasco, approached them. The release states Carrasco, 33, exposed himself to the couple and presented a firearm.
Officers responded to the gas station and found Carrasco in a black Dodge pickup truck pulling a white trailer. The first chase started when Carrasco fled a traffic stop, evading police south on N.M. 50.
Police said Carrasco avoided them by driving recklessly and in the opposite lane of travel. According to the release, he crashed into three different vehicles before being involved in a one-vehicle collision at N.M. 50 and La Cueva Road. He then left the truck and fled on foot into the woods nearby.
Lt. Mark Soriano said none of the occupants of the three vehicles Carrasco hit is believed to have sustained life-threatening injuries.
The suspect popped up again a short time later when a homeowner on Pigeon Ranch Road in Glorieta found Carrasco in her garage trying to hot-wire a dirt bike. According to the release, the resident was not harmed and alerted police of the break-in. Carrasco fled the area after he was discovered.
The pursuit resumed later in the day when officers received a report Carrasco had stolen a vehicle at the Glorieta Campground. The release states police believe he may have been trying to get back to Colorado.
Carrasco once again led police on a vehicle pursuit,, this time on Interstate 25 while driving into the opposite lane of traffic. His efforts to evade police resulted in a head-on collision with a Ryder truck, according to the release. The driver's injuries were not believed to be life-threatening.
The suspect fled into the woods for a second time at about 4:30 p.m., according to the release. At that point, authorities requested additional resources to continue searching for him, and the department's tactical team, aerial drone unit and ABLE 7 helicopter were all deployed.
Soriano added Carrasco will likely face additional charges stemming from the Pigeon Ranch Road break-in and the head-on collision on I-25. Police said he will be booked into the San Miguel County Jail in Las Vegas once he is released from the hospital.
