A 21-year-old Santa Fe resident was held with no bond after he made his first appearance in the Santa Fe County Magistrate Court on Tuesday afternoon.
Justin Jimenez faces 11 charges—six felonies and five misdemeanors—stemming from the Sept. 8 downtown incident that resulted in several instances of police gunfire and brought the annual Fiesta de Santa Fé celebrations to an early end. If convicted of all charges, Jimenez could face up to over 16 years in prison and/or over $25,000 in fines.
After Magistrate Judge Morgan Wood read the charges and potential penalties, Jimenez requested a public defender.
New Mexico State Police released more details regarding the Sunday police chase near the Santa Fe Plaza in a news release that night. According to the agency, the commotion began earlier that morning—around 2 am—when the owner of a 2015 white Jeep Grand Cherokee reported his vehicle stolen. The individual used an Apple Air Tag device to track the vehicle’s location and provided the information to dispatch, which showed the Jeep at the McDonald’s fast food restaurant near the intersection of Cerrillos Road and St. Francis Drive. But when an officer from the Santa Fe Police Department attempted to conduct a traffic stop, the driver fled, and no pursuit was initiated.
The driver, later identified as Jimenez, was then located by a Santa Fe County Sheriff’s deputy on Guadalupe Street, who attempted to conduct another traffic stop on the vehicle. The driver fled again, and noting the proximity of a nearby Desfile de la Gente staging area, officers refrained from pursuing until reports came in that described the vehicle driving recklessly in the area.
The situation continued to escalate as Jimenez plowed through barricades near Sheridan Avenue and struck a portable toilet. Officers then attempted to make contact near Nusbaum Street—the location of the first of four officer-involved shootings throughout the pursuit. The driver continued fleeing, disregarding additional barricades near Palace Avenue and Nusbaum Street, where the second shot occurred. Jimenez continued to flee with two more shots fired before the Jeep Grand Cherokee came to a stop near East Palace Avenue and Canyon Road, where officers took the driver into custody and rendered immediate aid. Jimenez was transported to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
In an updated media release, SFPD noted the suspect has an extensive criminal history, with prior arrests for offenses such as aggravated battery, aggravated assault, burglary, motor vehicle theft and fleeing law enforcement, as well as multiple arrest warrants.
SFPD Chief Paul Joye tells SFR the Sept. 8 disturbance serves as another representation of a “frustrating” pattern for law enforcement in recent memory.
“This incident, the incident at Best Buy, the incident at Sonic—these are people with history who aren’t new to the criminal justice system, so that’s a lot of the frustration that my officers are having and the community as well,” Joye says. “The officers are making the arrests. This is not an enforcement issue anymore. This is beyond that. Our officers are the most visible part of the overall criminal justice system, but we’re not the part that’s broken, and we’re not the part that needs fixing. We have to get to a point where we can have these larger conversations with our state leadership and also bring the courts in on it and say, ‘At what point can we start keeping these people who have shown that they have a history as repeat offenders behind bars?’”
District 3 Councilors Pilar Faulkner and Lee Garcia will host a town hall focused on crime tonight at 6:30 pm at the Santa Fe Country Club. The event follows a public safety town hall District 2 Councilor Michael Garcia hosted at the tail end of last month.
The social media post from NMSP notes the investigation into the shots “is still in its early stages.” Jimenez is charged with one count of aggravated battery on a peace officer with a deadly weapon; three counts of aggravated assault on a peace officer with a deadly weapon; one count of fleeing a law enforcement officer resulting in injury; possession of a stolen vehicle; reckless driving; failure to obey traffic control devices; leaving the scene of an accident involving damage to the vehicle; failure to give immediate notice of accidents; and no driver’s license.
The NMSP is asking for the public’s assistance with any potential video or still footage of the events surrounding the shots. Those with information should use this link to upload any evidence or contact Att. Agent Victor Rodriguez at (505) 841-9256.
Jimenez’s case will head next to Judge T. Glenn Ellington’s courtroom in the First Judicial District Court on an undecided date toward the end of this month.
