APD: Detention facility turns away five youths arrested wth guns

Five teenagers arrested after two separate incidents involving gun crimes over the weekend couldn’t be detained at the county juvenile detention center because of overcrowding and short staffing at the facility, according to Albuquerque police.

Instead, APD officers released the youths to their parents or guardians. Two of the five were on juvenile probation at the time they picked up new charges related to the theft on Saturday of a city-owned bait car used to nab car thieves.

In an attempt to stem juvenile violent crime, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham issued an emergency public health order in September requiring juveniles be detained if they are arrested on crimes involving firearms. Since September, more than 130 juveniles charged with crimes involving guns have been detained, according to the governor’s website.

But the Bernalillo County Juvenile Detention Center has been experiencing a higher-than-usual population in recent months, and in January had to also close new admissions.

The center is designed to hold juveniles prior to the resolution of their delinquency or criminal charges in state Children’s Court.

Four juveniles were arrested Saturday after APD auto theft detectives received notice that a bait car had been stolen. Detectives monitored internal surveillance of the car and could see the four juveniles “driving around in the stolen vehicle and casing various neighborhoods, apartment complexes and highly populated entertainment districts in the city,” APD said in a statement.

They could also be seen passing around a firearm inside the vehicle and, at times, pointing the gun outside while their accomplices exited the car, APD stated.

Officers disabled the car in the area of 9955 Coors Bypass, and the juveniles fled the vehicle before it came to complete stop. Officers who apprehended the four teens located a firearm abandoned underneath a vehicle. Two of the teens were on juvenile probation related to other crimes.

The four were charged with unlawful taking of a motor vehicle, unlawful possession of a handgun (under 19), tampering with evidence and resisting, evading and obstructing an officer.

On Sunday, a 17-year-old was arrested after APD officers answered a call of shots fired at an IHOP restaurant near Ouray and Coors. Victims told police they were inside the restaurant when the teen walked in, produced a firearm and “began waving it around,” threatening the employees and the victims. The victims moved to the back of the restaurant away from youth Maldonado when they heard multiple gunshots. They escaped and saw the youth leave the scene in a white Toyota truck.

Officers checking the area found a truck matching the description near 2600 Americare Court. The vehicle appeared to have been in a crash, and officers detained three people.

The teen, who was not involved in the crash, approached the officers, who remembered her description from the earlier incident. She was taken into custody and charged with aggravated battery (with a deadly weapon), aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and negligent use of a deadly weapon.