What started as a speeding violation could end up with more than 13 years in prison for a New Mexico man.
Christian Carbajal, 21, of, Albuquerque, was arrested early Sunday morning, charged with felony assault and felony failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer, as well as speeding, improper operation of a vehicle at stop signs, failure to drive in marked lanes, failure to signal before changing course, reckless operation and two counts of driving under the influence.
Captain Nate Sachs with the Marysville Division of Police said that at about 2:35 a.m., Sunday, police spotted a red Jeep driving south on North Main Street. Sachs said the vehicle was clocked going 46 miles per hour in a 25 mile an hour zone.
The officer turned around, “and the suspect vehicle accelerated.”
The vehicle went west on Fourth Street.
Sachs said police “briefly lost” the vehicle when it turned and “blacked out” its headlights.
The officer found the vehicle in a cul-de-sac in the area of Parkway Drive.
“He posted his cruiser at the end of the cul-de-sac in an effort to block it,” Sachs said.
Sachs said the officer never had a chance to approach the vehicle.
“The vehicle turned its lights back on and headed toward the officer, to the point that the officer thought he was going to hit him,” Sachs said. “The officer put his cruiser in reverse and the vehicle sped past him out of the cul-de-sac.”
The Jeep turned onto West Fifth Street then onto Route 245. Other officers joined the pursuit at that point. Sachs said the pursuit hit 90 miles per hour at one point. Additionally, Sachs said the man allegedly “blew through” multiple stop signs during the chase. He said there was no traffic on Route 245 at that time of day, but the pursuit was nearing a construction area.
Just as quickly as the pursuit began, it ended.
Sachs said the driver, later identified as Carbajal, stopped the car.
“He just pulled over on his own and stepped out of the vehicle,” Sachs said.
He said the felonious assault charge should be filed as an attempted felonious assault for Carbajal’s alleged actions in nearly hitting the officer.
Carbajal is currently being held at Tri-County Regional Jail. His bond has been set at $50,000. He is set for a preliminary hearing on May 8.