A traffic stop on U.S. Highway 550 led to a pursuit by the New Mexico State Police and a four-hour standoff in Farmington Friday after the suspect entered a home near McGee Park.
A reporter from the Tri-City Record arrived at the scene of the standoff on U.S. Highway 64 about 5:20 p.m., where the suspect had driven after eluding the State Patrol. He entered the home of Justin Eric Sanchez, who spoke with the Tri-City Record. Sanchez said the suspect entered his home between 1:30 and 2 p.m.
Sanchez said that he was napping when the suspect, whom he identified as Andreas, entered his unlocked back door. He said that Andreas comes and goes to work on his car. Sanchez said he’s known Andreas about three weeks.
“I guess they were chasing him for whatever reason,” Sanchez said. “I just barely know him.”
He said that when the suspect entered the house he left immediately because didn’t want to be accused of harboring a suspect.
“I don't like it,” Sanchez said. “My dogs are in the house, and there's all these police here talking about going in. I hope the dogs don’t get hurt.”
About 20 state police vehicles and two BearCat SWAT units were present, including one from the Farmington Police Department. Spokeswoman Shanice Gonzales confirmed in a phone call that the police SWAT unit was on the scene, but no further information was available because it was a “state police operation.”
After about three minutes on the scene, a Tri-City Record reporter heard two loud explosions. When asked if the suspect was armed, Sanchez said, “I have a shotgun in the house, but no ammo.”
Asked if there was a search warrant, Sanchez said, “I gave them permission. … I don’t want him in there. … I didn't invite him in.”
Cherie Swanton, Sanchez’s partner, said she received a call that officers had arrived about 2 p.m. “So I left work and came home,” she said.
State Police officers took a door-ramming machine on tracks with container to block the doorway from the staging area just east of the residence, a small mobile home. It moved into position in front of the mobile home.
Shortly after that, a robot was removed from the SWAT unit, followed by two drones that hovered over the scene.
A neighbor, who preferred to remain anonymous, said she arrived home about 3:30 p.m. from a trip to Mexico and heard two gunshots after arriving. She said that was unusual.
“It's kind of scary, but at the same time, it's exciting,” she said. “Nothing's ever happened here like ever before.”
U.S. Highway 64 was blocked from McGee Park to about 1/4 mile east of the location of the standoff.
Swanton and Sanchez engaged in a conversation with a State Police negotiator, who said they were awaiting a search warrant from a judge. At this time another explosion was heard.
The standoff was resolved with the arrest about 6:20 p.m.
