VIDEO: Man changes clothes to sneak past BCSO deputies during stop
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – An auto theft investigation turned into Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office deputies chasing a suspect through a hotel in Uptown before deputies shot the suspect trying to steal a BCSO vehicle.
Back in February, deputies with the auto theft unit initially tried to stop 39-year-old Lupe Vargas for an ineligible temporary tag. Instead, Vargas crashed his car into a pillar, shooting into the hotel to get inside.
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News: VIDEO: Man changes clothes to sneak past BCSO deputies during stop
Video shows Vargas then running inside the hotel, losing deputies as workers try to yell where he went. When deputies do spot him, BCSO says out of concern for the guests shots are fired but Vargas was never hit.
At some point, Vargas was able to change from a white tank top into a red shirt walking out of the hotel trying to act like nothing happened. A K9 deputy didn’t take the bait and followed Vargas as he took off running.
“No one is jogging through the parking lot at 11:15 at night right after there has been a shooting inside the hotel,” said BCSO Chief Deputy Nicholas Huffmyer.
As he tries to steal a BCSO unit, other officers notice and try to pull him out of the car.
The K9 deputy then tells deputies to move their legs and his K9, Clooney, jumps into the seat with Vargas. From there Vargas is quickly taken into custody.
Deputies say the woman with Vargas tried to get a room at the hotel while all of this was happening, but the worker refused.
Vargas has a long criminal history starting back when he was just 11 years old. He has two hearings next week for probation violations from this incident. Those convictions include battery on a peace officer and aggravated assault.
