Retired officer killed during vehicle chase through Las Cruces

Story updated at 9:30 p.m. Nov. 27.

LAS CRUCES - A retired police officer has died and two people are in custody following an hours-long vehicle pursuit in southern New Mexico on Monday.

New Mexico State Police say the chase began around 2 p.m. after a vehicle fled from the Border Patrol checkpoint on Interstate 10 west of Las Cruces.

More than three hours later, following a carjacking and another pursuit through the streets of Las Cruces, the suspects' vehicle rammed into a motorcycle on Las Alturas Drive.

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The Las Cruces Police Department confirmed J.R. Stewart, a retired Las Cruces police officer and twice a candidate for Doña Ana County sheriff, was riding the motorcycle. He was transported to MountainView Regional Medical Center and later died from his injuries, authorities said.

Following the crash, state police said officers located the suspects — who were not identified — at the intersection of Las Alturas and Sotol Drive. The suspects were attempting to carjack another vehicle when they were taken into custody, state police said.

State police said the incident began when a tan GMC pickup entered the Border Patrol checkpoint and agents discovered the vehicle license plate was reported stolen in Colorado on Nov. 25, 2017.

The vehicle was reported as stolen out of Colorado on Nov.r 9, 2017. The license plate did not belong to the vehicle, state police said.

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The male driver was asked for identification and told agents he did not have any. The female passenger provided a stolen driver's license and the male was asked to pull over into the secondary lane, according to the state police.

The male and female then fled, leading Border Patrol agents on a vehicle pursuit westbound in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 10, state police said.

State police said Border Patrol agents observed the suspects carjack a vehicle at gunpoint near mile post 104 on Interstate 10.

The carjacked vehicle was described as a grey Toyota 4-Runner with a Texas license plate. The suspects fled in the vehicle eastbound on Interstate 10 toward Las Cruces.

The victim of the carjacking later told state police investigators that he and his family had been traveling eastbound on I-10 when they saw a tan pickup cross over into the eastbound lanes and nearly hit a tractor trailer.

The victim told police he stopped to avoid a collision and that's when a male and female approached his vehicle. The male had a black handgun and ordered them to exit the vehicle, he told police. He removed his children, ages 7 and 2, and his wife.

Border Patrol agents pursued the 4-Runner westbound, but lost sight of it when it exited at Motel Boulevard, state police said.

State police said Las Cruces Police patrol units located the vehicle at Walnut and Lohman in Las Cruces about 5 p.m. The suspects led officers on a pursuit throughout the city. The pursuit continued onto both Interstates 10 and 25 reaching speeds up to 110 miles per hour.

The chase, according to information on the police scanner, took this approximate route in Las Cruces and lasted about 20 minutes within city limits:

Eastbound on Interstate 10

Northbound on Interstate 25

Eastbound on Lohman

Northbound on Walton

Westbound on Griggs

Southbound on Solano

Eastbound on University

Northbound on Locust

Eastbound on Idaho

Southbound on Triviz

Eastbound on Missouri

Southbound on Don Roser

Southbound on I-25

Pursuit ends on Las Alturas (frontage road to I-25)

At one point the driver entered Interstate 25 at University driving southbound in the northbound lanes, state police said. The suspect turned west and drove through the barbed wire fence onto Las Alturas Drive where the vehicle struck the motorcycle, police said.

This incident is being investigated by the New Mexico State Police Investigations Bureau.