Accused Las Cruces stoplight shooter to be held through murder trial

LAS CRUCES — The man accused of shooting a motorist at a stoplight last week, seemingly at random, will be held without bond through his trial for first-degree murder, following a detention hearing in state district court Tuesday.

The hearing fell exactly one week after Pancho Garcia, 35, allegedly walked into lanes of traffic on Picacho Avenue, approached a car and shot the driver three to four times before running back into the room he was renting at a Western Inn close to the intersection.

Juan Luján Garcés, 29, succumbed to his wounds at the scene, where police found him in his vehicle after it coasted into a boarded-up commercial building.

Luján Garcés was a school bus driver for STS New Mexico, which provides transportation for the Las Cruces Public Schools.

The contractor paid tribute to their fallen employee in the form of a final call over radio dispatch last Friday, in an announcement stating, “You have given your love and friendship to all of your coworkers and the students transported under your watchful eye. The time has now come for you to rest from your faithful work here.” The announcement was shared on social media.

Police identified Garcia through surveillance videos allegedly showing him leaving and returning to his room with a handgun, as well as a figure matching his description approaching the vehicle before it drifts into the building. Garcia was arrested and is being held at the Doña Ana County Detention Center.

In court, Las Cruces police detective Ricky Bardwell identified Garcia, seated in court next to his attorney, as the shooter.

State District Judge Douglas Driggers quickly determined that Garcia was a danger to the public, based on the evidence and background information included in the petition for pretrial detention.

Prosecutors pointed to criminal convictions Garcia incurred involving drugs, theft, assault and other offenses, while serving in the U.S. Air Force and during a period he lived in Colorado from 2020 to 2023. The petition also cited past instances of missed court hearings, fleeing from justice and failures to register as a sex offender. In 2022, Garcia was convicted in Colorado of criminal sexual contact of a child under the age of 15.

Following his arrest on June 10, Garcia faces a new felony charge of failing to comply with sex offender registration requirements during 2025.

Defense attorney Samuel Olmstead emphasized that Garcia was innocent unless and until he is proven guilty, and pointed to Garcia’s military service and family ties to the community as evidence he would appear in court.

But Driggers ruled that no conditions of release would ensure the safety of witnesses or the public if Garcia were released ahead of trial on a crime the judge called “particularly gruesome.”

As a result, Garcia is to be held without bond through his trial, with a preliminary hearing set for next week.