ABQ man sentenced to 12 years in 2019 carjackings

An Albuquerque man was sentenced this week to 12 years in prison for a 2019 crime spree that included two carjackings and a high-speed car chase that ended with a crash in the South Valley.

Charles Josiah Chavez, 33, admitted in a plea agreement Thursday that he used a loaded rifle to steal two vehicles and attempted to hold up two people at an ATM machine on Jan. 8, 2019.

U.S. District Judge Martha Vázquez sentenced Chavez on Thursday in U.S. District Court in Albuquerque.

According to a federal criminal complaint, the crime spree began about 9 p.m. when Chavez rang the doorbell of a residence in the 1400 block of Gold SW and asked the homeowner for permission to use a phone. When the homeowner denied the request, Chavez raised a firearm and demanded the keys to a 2009 Toyota truck, the complaint said.

Chavez later carjacked a second vehicle — a Dodge Challenger — at a Circle K convenience store at 511 Bridge SW, the complaint said.

A Bernalillo County Sheriff’s deputy later saw Chavez point a rifle at two occupants of a car parked at an ATM machine on Bridge SW. The robbery attempt was interrupted when the deputy ordered him to surrender, but Chavez drove away in the Challenger.

“Driving at speeds of up to 100 mph, Chavez ultimately crashed the vehicle and attempted to flee on foot, still armed with the rifle,” according to a statement issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

“Deputies gave repeated commands for Chavez to surrender, but he refused, threatening officers and indicating he might shoot himself,” the statement said. “Deputies were forced to deploy non-lethal beanbag rounds and a K-9 unit to finally apprehend him.”

Chavez pleaded guilty Thursday to five federal charges: two counts of carjacking, two count of using a firearm to commit a crime of violence, and one count of attempted bank robbery.