Las Cruces man charged after stolen car crash leaves woman airlifted to El Paso hospital
A Las Cruces man faces felony charges after a Feb. 6 stolen car crash left a woman seriously injured and airlifted to an El Paso hospital. Prosecutors are seeking pretrial detention.
Prosecutors seek to hold 21-year-old Angel Torres-Tovar in jail pending trial in great bodily injury by vehicle case
Damien Willis, Organ Mountain News
LAS CRUCES - A 21-year-old Las Cruces man is facing felony charges after authorities say a crash involving a stolen vehicle left a woman seriously injured and airlifted to an El Paso hospital.
Angel Torres-Tovar was arrested March 12 and booked into the Doña Ana County Detention Center on charges including great bodily injury by vehicle and possession of a stolen vehicle.
The crash occurred Feb. 6. Court records show Torres-Tovar was arrested more than a month later after investigators filed charges related to the crash and the stolen vehicle involved.
According to a criminal complaint, investigators responded to a crash involving a white 2019 Kia Forte near N. Highway 28 and Plant Science Circle, where they found a woman identified as Mistri Lopez injured outside the vehicle. Court records state she suffered serious injuries and was airlifted to University Medical Center in El Paso.
Investigators later determined the Kia had been reported to Las Cruces police as stolen. The vehicle’s registered owner told officers it had been taken from her driveway and that no one had permission to use it.
According to the complaint, investigators found blood on the steering wheel and damage to the ignition consistent with a stolen vehicle. Torres-Tovar was later located at MountainView Regional Medical Center with a head laceration and a seatbelt burn across his chest.
During an interview with investigators, Torres-Tovar allegedly said he was high on fentanyl and claimed Lopez had been driving. The complaint states he later declined to answer further questions about how the vehicle was obtained.
Prosecutors have filed a motion in District Court seeking to hold Torres-Tovar in custody pending trial, arguing that no release conditions would reasonably protect public safety.
In the filing, prosecutors cite the seriousness of the crash and the injuries suffered by the victim, as well as Torres-Tovar’s criminal history and prior failures to appear in court.
The motion also states that Torres-Tovar has previously been found incompetent in several cases and that the current offense allegedly occurred while he was already on release in other cases.
Pretrial services recommended restrictive release conditions, according to a public safety assessment filed in the case.
A District Court judge will decide at a future hearing whether Torres-Tovar will remain in custody while the case proceeds.
Damien Willis is founder and editor of Organ Mountain News. If you have a personal story to share or a lead we should follow up on, reach out at OrganMountainNews@gmail.com or connect with him on X at @damienwillis.
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