Suspect admits he tried to steal gun
Arrested man escaped police, tried to grab gun, complaint says
SANTA FE — A man who was arrested Tuesday after briefly escaping police custody admitted he tried to steal a state vehicle at a gas station and later tried to take an officer’s gun, according to a criminal complaint.
Robert Noedel, 26, was arrested on a warrant and for being found sleeping in a stolen vehicle Tuesday morning. He was being transported by Santa Fe police Officer Gerardo Guerrero when Noedel managed to escape from Guerrero’s patrol car.
Noedel then tried to steal a state government Nissan Altima as the driver, a Children, Youth and Families Department employee, was filling it at the Giant station at Cerrillos Road and Baca Street. Noedel
fled from the gas station and got into a scuffle with Guerrero.
“Mr. Noedel admitted that he and the Officer both attempted to retrieve the gun during the altercation which caused a round to fire,” says the complaint, which was filed in Santa Fe Magistrate Court.
Before escaping, Noedel managed to slip out of his handcuffs while in Guerrero’s car. He told Guerrero that he felt sick and needed to throw up.
“Officer Guerrero rolled down the rear passenger window for Mr. Noedel and at the time, Mr. Noedel reached his hand out of the window and unlocked the door from the outside,” the complaint says.
At the Giant station, the door to the Nissan was open as the CYFD employee was filling up. She, Officer Guerrero and an unknown bystander tried to pull him out of the car before Noedel fled again, according to the complaint
Guerrero hit Noedel in the chest with his Taser, but Noedel managed to remove one of the prongs and continued to run before the officer managed to tackle him. In the ensuing scuffle, Noedel went for Guerro’s gun and Taser, the complaint states.
Another officer helped get Noedel, who has a long record of minor criminal offenses, under control. Guerro incurred cuts and scratches on his face.
Noedel claimed that the officer unholstered his gun during the pursuit and threatened to shoot him. Asked what his intention was in trying to reach Guerrero’s gun and Taser during the struggle, Noedel said he wanted to commit suicide, according to the criminal complaint.
Noedel was charged with resisting or evading an officer, attempt to commit a felony, disarming a police officer, escape from custody and failure to comply after the incident. Noedel has previously been charged six times for escaping or evading police or resisting arrest and has been booked into the county jail about 25 times since 2010.