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APD arrests man in fatal beating case
Albuquerque police on Sunday arrested a man in a fatal beating at a West Side gas station Saturday night.
Gabriel Rodriguez, 33, was arrested at his home Sunday after homicide detectives secured a warrant for his arrest.
Just before midnight Saturday, police were called to the Maverik Gas Station, 9701 Bluewater NW, to check on a man who appeared to be down and out, and was bleeding. Officers attempted first aid, but the man died at the scene, according to an Albuquerque Police Department news release.
He has been tentatively identified but police are not releasing his name until his family members are notified, Gilbert Gallegos, a police spokesman, said in a news release.
A witness told an employee at the gas station that a suspect punched the victim in the face and ran off. Surveillance video showed the two men exchange words in front of the gas, before the victim was punched four times in the face, according to police.
The suspect fled in an Infinity car, according to police.
An employee recognized the suspect as a regular at the gas station.
Officers used license plate readers to locate the Infinity sedan and were able to identify Rodriguez, according to the release.
He will be booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center on an open count of murder, according to police.
