Albuquerque man arrested after crashes, high-speed chase through Santa Fe

Santa Fe police say a 32-year-old Albuquerque man led officers on a high-speed chase in a stolen truck that he used to deliberately drive into a patrol car.

Luis Pinon was booked into the Santa Fe County jail following the Tuesday evening incident. He is being held on suspicion of receiving or transferring a stolen motor vehicle, aggravated fleeing of a law enforcement officer, aggravated battery on a police officer with a deadly weapon and possession of a firearm by a felon, among other counts.

Officers Richard O’Leary and Ryan Alire-Maez spotted Pinon in the truck in a parking lot off Cerrillos Road, according to a news release, before Pinon deliberately crashed the vehicle he was driving into O’Leary’s patrol car and sped off.

Pinon drove the truck onto the lawn of the fire station at Cerrillos Road and Third Street, crossed a median and crashed into another vehicle, police say, then sped down St. Michael’s Drive and St. Francis Drive to reach southbound Interstate 25.

Officers used “stop sticks” to flatten the vehicle’s tires and forced Pinon to pull over south of the N.M. 599 exit, police say, where Pinon surrendered. A criminal complaint says police found a handgun on the driver’s seat. No injuries were reported. The criminal complaint says Pinon apologized to officers for running into the patrol vehicle and said he fled because he knew the truck was stolen.

Santa Fe County Magistrate Donita Sena authorized his release on electronic monitoring and other conditions if he pays 10 percent of a $5,000 secured bond.