Driver accused of firing rifle during road rage incident in Las Cruces
A Las Cruces man is accused of firing a rifle from a vehicle during a road rage incident near Lohman Avenue and Solano Drive, according to court records.
Witness reports shot from vehicle near Lohman and Solano Sunday afternoon; no injuries reported
Damien Willis, Organ Mountain News
LAS CRUCES - A Las Cruces man is accused of firing a rifle from a vehicle during a road rage incident Sunday afternoon, according to court records.
Jose Alonzo Enriquez Jr., 22, faces a fourth-degree felony charge of shooting at or from a motor vehicle.
According to a statement of probable cause, a witness reported shots fired near North Solano Drive and Lohman Avenue on April 26 and told police a black Toyota stopped in the street, where the driver fired a rifle out of the passenger-side window.
The witness continued following the vehicle as it traveled toward the intersection of North Manzanita Street and East Mountain Avenue, where officers conducted a high-risk traffic stop and detained Enriquez. A passenger in the vehicle was released and is not believed to have been involved.
In a statement to investigators, Enriquez said the encounter began as a road rage situation involving multiple vehicles that appeared to be racing. He told officers one of the occupants in another vehicle pointed what he believed was a gun at him, prompting him to retrieve a rifle and fire a single round into the air.
Officers recovered a Palmetto State Armory PA-15 firearm, a spent casing and additional ammunition from the vehicle, according to the affidavit, and did not locate any victims. No injuries were reported.
Court records show Enriquez is charged with shooting at or from a motor vehicle without great bodily harm.
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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