Bosque assaults prompt patrols, disrupt recreation

A string of assaults involving at least one assailant with a box cutter has prompted additional police patrols, recreational groups to relocate their activities and schools to remind students and parents of safety protocols.

The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office said several assaults have occurred in the bosque on the west side of the Rio Grande, north of Alameda, since early February.

“Detectives believe these incidents may be related and are asking the public to remain alert and report any suspicious activity,” BCSO said in a news release.

Witnesses have provided similar descriptions of the suspect, who appears to be a 30-year-old man wearing all-black clothing, according to BCSO.

The series of assaults began on Feb. 2 when a suspect wearing all-black clothing — including a black face mask, gloves and goggles — pointed a firearm at a person and cut the person’s pants near the groin. The person who was attacked did not suffer any injuries, BCSO said. 

A month later, a man was attacked by a suspect wearing all-black clothing with a box cutter. 

On March 8, a woman riding her horse was approached by a suspect who threatened to stab the horse with a knife, the release states. 

“No injuries were reported,” BCSO said. “The offender was described as wearing a black hoodie, blue pants and believed to be approximately 30 years old.”

BSCO and the Albuquerque Police Department have increased patrols through the area since the assaults began, according to Sgt. Connor Otero, a spokesperson for BCSO. As of Monday, no arrests have been made.

Meanwhile, various groups who use the bosque have made changes to their routines. 

Casey Williams, a mother and leader of a bosque yoga group, said the assaults have forced her club to move locations and prompted her child’s school to remind parents of safety protocols.

Williams’ child attends Mountain Mahogany Community School and every other Monday, the students hold class in the bosque. Students at the school typically take walks in the bosque and conduct ecological projects in the area, she said.

After the assaults, Williams said the school increased the number of chaperones for students and urged parents to remind their students to stay vigilant while in the bosque. 

“I don’t know if the school is going to change locations or if there’s going to be additional safety practices, but this even affects our school community,” she said.

Mountain Mahogany Community School was not available for additional questions.

Williams and five other women meet every Sunday to walk or do yoga in the bosque. She said the group has shifted to a new location. 

“It took away the space we find there to be relaxed and enjoy each other’s company and now we have to kind of be on guard,” she said. “With that imminent threat, it’s been a little unnerving." 

Williams is the founder of Yoga on the Rio, which meets once a week in the bosque.

The group has since moved meetups further south. 

“It's a place where we find solace for our little group,” she said. “The therapeutic benefits that the bosque offers have been compromised and threatened and it just doesn’t feel like a safe space.”

The club has now taken to wielding a mace and bear spray to protect themselves and has vowed to keep an eye on anyone enjoying the bosque alone.

“No one wants to let one person take it away from all of us,” Williams said. “We're definitely gonna do what we can to protect ourselves and be on the lookout for others as well.”

Nakayla McClelland covers crime and breaking news. Reach her at nmcclelland@abqjournal.com or at 505-823-3857.