State police: Santa Fe armed robbery ends in fatal shootout after chase

Victoria Traxler, The Santa Fe New Mexican
·2 min read

Nov. 27—Law enforcement officers from three agencies returned fire at armed-robbery suspects during a chase that began in Santa Fe, killing one and wounding the other, according to New Mexico State Police.

According to a news release:

A Santa Fe County Sheriff's deputy, a Torrance County Sheriff's deputy and a New Mexico State Police officer all fired at the vehicle after a passenger fired multiple shots at them. No officers or deputies were hurt.

The pair fled after robbing Starbucks on St. Francis Drive in Santa Fe at gunpoint. They were pursued more than 50 miles down U.S. 285; their vehicle left the road and crashed into a tree about 2 miles south of Clines Corners. State police and Torrance County Sheriff's Office deputies had joined the pursuit near Clines Corners.

The unidentified man eventually crawled out of the vehicle and was taken into custody. He was flown by helicopter to an unidentified trauma center for treatment of gunshot wounds, and his condition was unknown Friday night. The woman with him was found dead in the vehicle. The Office of the Medical Investigator will determine her cause and manner of death, as well as her identification.

Also according to the news release:

New Mexico State Police Investigations Bureau agents were called to investigate the officer-involved shooting; that investigation continues.

Investigators learned state police were alerted around 2:30 p.m. that a vehicle was fleeing Santa Fe after the reported armed robbery a short time earlier. The suspects' vehicle was described as a black Kia passenger car with no license plate. Shortly after the information was given over police radio, a state police officer saw the vehicle headed north on Cerrillos Road near Jaguar Drive and notified dispatchers. Moments later, a Santa Fe County Sheriff's deputy spotted the vehicle headed south on Richards Avenue and began a chase that led north on Interstate 25, then south on U.S. 285.

A 27-mile stretch of U.S. 285 from Interstate 40 to U.S. 60 at Encino was temporarily closed.