Man jailed after high-speed chase

A Tucumcari man was jailed in Santa Rosa after he was accused of stealing a pickup truck in Tucumcari and engaging with state police on a high-speed chase on Interstate 40 in neighboring Guadalupe County.

Angelo Galvan, 24, was charged with possession of a stolen vehicle, aggravated fleeing of a law enforcement officer, criminal damage to property over $1,000 and driving under the influence of drugs.

Three of the four courts are fourth-degree felonies that could lead up to 18 months in prison and a fine of up to $5,000.

According to a criminal complaint filed by New Mexico State Police officer Fernando Lopez in Guadalupe County and a news release from state police, a white Chevrolet pickup truck with Texas license plates owned by the Allsup's Corp. was stolen from a Tucumcari residence about 8 a.m. Jan. 5 and last was seen on I-40.

State police were informed to be on the lookout for the vehicle, which also had a global positioning system device installed.

State police Sgt. Gerardo Hernandez saw the vehicle pass him on westbound I-40 near mile marker 311. Hernandez tried to pull him over with his emergency lights activated, but the driver refused.

State police pursued Galvan in the truck for about 40 miles at speeds that exceeded 100 mph.

"During the pursuit Galvan drove recklessly, attempted to run other motorists off the road, and at one point struck the rear of a commercial motor vehicle," state police stated.

At mile marker 285, another state police officer set up spike strips that punctured one of the truck's tires, but the vehicle kept going.

"I observed the vehicle driving erratically on I-40 weaving in and out of traffic," Lopez wrote in his complaint. "The right front tire was blown out and began to leave debris of the tire on the roadway. The suspect ... continued to drive on the roadway with no tire on the front rim. The rim of the tire was leaving (gouge) marks on the asphalt and causing rocks from the asphalt to hit my windshield."

Galvan crashed the pickup into the rear right portion of a semi-tractor trailer and kept going. Lopez was authorized to use a pursuit intervention technique "due to Mr. Galvan being a danger to the motoring public." The maneuver is where a pursuing police vehicle forces a fleeing car to turn sideways abruptly, causing the driver to lose control and stop.

The vehicle came to a stop on westbound I-40 near mile marker 271. Galvan refused to open his door after several commends from officers to do so. An officer broke the driver's side window so he could open the door, and Galvan was taken into custody.

Lopez said Galvan had bloodshot and watery eyes, slurred speech, was incoherent and appeared to be under the influence of a controlled substance. During a search of Galvan, Lopez said he found two empty syringes in his front pocket.

Galvan was taken to a Santa Rosa hospital, where he was uncooperative and used profane language towards the nurses. A state police officer said Galvan tried to hit a nurse but was unable to do so because he was handcuffed.

Lopez obtained a search warrant to get a blood sample from Galvan.

State police stated that no injuries were reported during the chase and arrest. The New Mexico State Police Investigations Bureau is investigating.

According to online court records, bond for Galvan set at $10,000 cash the next day. He is forbidden from ingesting alcohol or illegal drugs, must not possess firearms or dangerous weapons, must not use social media and must not make contact with the theft victim or witness. He also is forbidden from leaving the area and must submit to breath tests or urine analyses.

An evidentiary hearing on the case in Guadalupe County magistrate court is scheduled for Tuesday, with a preliminary exam on Jan. 20. Public defender Michael Aragon was listed as Galvan's attorney. He could not be reached for comment.