High speed chase ends in arrest

A 53-year-old man holding a gun to his own head was arrested after a high-speed chase and three-and-a-half hours of negotiations with Socorro County Sheriff Lee Armijo on Monday.

Robert Lemons of Belen had barricaded himself in a vehicle on U.S. Highway 60, Armijo said, before agreeing to voluntarily put down his gun and get out of the vehicle.

Lemons had two outstanding felony warrants from Valencia County including aggravated stalking and a warrant for shooting at a dwelling/ occupied building, aggravated assault on a household member (deadly weapon), aggravated assault (deadly weapon), breaking and entering and unlawfully taking of a motor vehicle.

The incident began Monday morning in Catron County. Sheriff Keith Hughes said he was notified of an alert on Sunday from Valencia County and on Monday morning Hughes said he met a vehicle matching the description of the BOLO (be on the lookout) on Highway 60 about 15 miles from Datil.

“The BOLO referred to him as being wanted for multiple felony warrants out of their county. They included that he had made statements that he would not go back to jail and said that to consider him as being armed and dangerous,” Hughes said in an email.

Hughes saw the vehicle turn towards Magdalena and contacted Socorro County to request assistance.

“I opted not to stop the vehicle before reaching Datil due to information included in the BOLO. When we reached Datil I was able to confirm it was the vehicle we had information on,” Hughes said. “The vehicle then turned towards Magdalena. I then contacted Socorro and requested assistance since my deputies were down at the Cliff Dwelling serving another warrant.”

He said he kept the vehicle in sight as it travelled towards Magdalena.

“When Socorro County Deputies attempted a traffic stop west of Magdalena on Hwy 60,” Hughes said, “that’s when the vehicle fled at a high rate of speed.”

Socorro County Sheriff Armijo said attempts were made to pull over the vehicle. Ultimately spike strips were deployed at mile market 123 to stop the suspect’s vehicle without disrupting traffic.

Armijo said the vehicle sustained at least one flat tire and pulled into a residence near the old Water Canyon Lodge.

Armijo said he approached the man, who was holding a gun to his own head and had barricaded himself in the vehicle. Armijo spent hours negotiating with the man to put down his gun and exit the vehicle.

During that time agencies responded from the Socorro Sheriff’s Department, Catron County, Magdalena EMS, State Police and Sierra County’s SWAT, which came with their BearCat, a heavily armored tactical vehicle.

“I talked to him for approximately three hours,” Armijo said. “He eventually agreed to voluntarily put the gun down and he was apprehended without incident and transported to Socorro General Hospital to be processed for jail,” Armijo said.

He said Lemons will be held at the Socorro County Detention Center for a couple days before he is transported to Valencia County.