Man Suspected of Injuring Officer Had Warrant for His Arrest
Joel Orozco, the man suspected of initiating Wednesday’s incident that injured a Las Cruces police officer and resulted in an officer-involved shooting on north Solano Drive, has been charged with multiple felonies including aggravated battery against a peace officer.
Orozco, 28, of the 800 block of Rio Grande Street, is charged with a third-degree felony count of aggravated battery (deadly weapon) upon a peace officer; a fourth-degree felony count of aggravated fleeing a law enforcement officer; a fourth-degree felony count of receipt, transportation or possession of a firearm by a felon; and a misdemeanor count of resisting, evading or obstructing an officer.
The LCPD officer injured in the incident remains hospitalized with a fractured leg. A woman, an occupant of Orozco’s vehicle who was injured either before or during Wednesday’s incident, was also transported to an area hospital where she remains in critical condition.
Shortly before 2 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 3, a Las Cruces police officer conducted a traffic stop on a white Chevrolet Tahoe that was seen speeding and driving erratic on Solano Drive. The vehicle pulled into the northwest side of the apartment complex at 1900 N. Solano Dr. The officer approached the driver’s side of the vehicle and had a brief interaction with the driver, identified as Orozco. During his investigation, the officer learned Orozco had a felony warrant for his arrest initiated by the District Attorney’s office.
Preliminary information from the investigation indicates the officer asked Orozco to turn off the vehicle which he did. The officer advised Orozco to exit the vehicle because there was a warrant for his arrest. Investigators learned Orozco refused to exit the vehicle and, instead, started it. The officer reached inside the open door of the Tahoe to prevent Orozco from placing the vehicle into gear, but Orozco was able to engage the transmission and accelerate from the traffic stop, dragging the officer who was partially inside the open driver’s-side door of the vehicle.
Investigators believe a second officer, who arrived to assist with the arrest, witnessed the officer being dragged. Orozco continued driving east, endangering the life of the officer, when the second officer discharged at least one round. Orozco’s vehicle crossed a divided median, drove through a large utility pole and through a portion of the apartment complex before coming to a stop on the east side of the apartments. Orozco abandoned the vehicle and its two passengers and ran away from the scene. He was located and taken into custody about an hour later.
A male passenger and a woman were occupants of Orozco’s vehicle. The woman was found to be injured and was transported to an area hospital while the male passenger fled from the scene. His whereabouts are still unknown.
Investigators obtained a warrant to search Orozco’s vehicle and found a loaded Glock handgun inside. Orozco was convicted of a felony offense in 2012 and is not permitted to be in possession of any firearms.
The investigation is ongoing, and several witnesses have yet to be identified or interviewed by police. Because of that, police are unable to release additional information on this incident until further interviews are conducted.
Anyone with information on this incident, or witnesses who have not yet spoken to police, are asked to contact police at (575) 526-0795. Anyone who knows the identity or whereabouts of the male passenger who was in Orozco’s vehicle, considered a witness to this incident, is also asked to call police at the same number.
Orozco was booked into the Dona Ana County Detention Center where he is initially being held without bond.
The incident is being investigated by the Officer-involved Incident Task Force, a multi-agency unit that includes investigators from New Mexico State Police, the Las Cruces Police Department, Dona Ana County Sheriff’s Office and New Mexico State University Police.
