Police arrest suspects following pursuit that ends downtown
Sep. 12—Santa Fe police arrested a man and woman Monday afternoon near Guadalupe and West De Vargas streets following a chase from the midtown area, where the suspects, riding in a dark-colored SUV, had evaded a traffic stop, struck an officer's cruiser and fled, Deputy Chief Ben Valdez said.
The police department sent an alert Monday afternoon advising residents and workers in the downtown area to shelter in place; the advisory was lifted just after 4:30 p.m.
Valdez said officers had attempted to stop an SUV at Llano and Hopewell streets because it matched the description of a vehicle in a previous pursuit Monday, in which officers had chased two men suspected of stealing a generator at gunpoint from Home Depot.
When the second pursuit ended at Guadalupe and De Vargas, Valdez added, the man and woman ran from the SUV before their arrests a short time later. He did not identify the suspects.
The man at first resisted officers' attempts to arrest him, police said in a news release issued Monday evening, and at least one officer struck him with an electronic weapon.
"The vehicle pursuit eventually ended when the suspects parked the vehicle behind the Whole Hog Café, located at 320 South Guadalupe Street, and fled on foot," the news release said.
"Officers immediately saturated the area, established a perimeter, and searched for the occupants of the vehicle," the release said. "Officers quickly located one vehicle occupant, an adult male, who resisted the officers' attempts to take him into custody. As a result, at least one officer utilized their department issued conducted electrical less lethal weapon. ... The second occupant, a female, was also taken into custody without incident."
The news release did not provide the suspects' identities or list the crimes they are charged with, though it said the man who was arrested is believed to be directly involved in the Home Depot incident.
"This is an active case and developing in real-time, the suspects' names and the appropriate criminal charges will be released when available," the news release said.
Valdez said police were investigating whether a third suspect was involved.
Earlier in the day, Valdez said officers had been called to Home Depot on Richards Avenue about 8:46 a.m. in response to the report of two men stealing a generator and threatening store staff with a handgun. The officers spotted the suspects leaving the store's parking lot in a dark SUV.
Officers attempted to initiate a traffic stop on the SUV at Yucca Street and Rodeo Road, he said, but the SUV fled. Police pursued the vehicle to Siringo Road and St. Francis Drive, where the chase was called off due to public safety concerns.
"They terminated trying to apprehend them at that point because of the risk to public safety," Valdez said. "The driver was operating the vehicle in a reckless manner."
This is a developing story. Check back here for more details.
