Man BCSO deputies shot in International District faces charges

A man has been charged after being shot by Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office deputies during a crime-fighting operation in the International District last month.

Jason Baca, 36, of Albuquerque, is charged with four counts of aggravated assault upon a peace officer with a deadly weapon, three counts of trafficking controlled substances and receipt, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Baca remains hospitalized and is expected to survive, BCSO spokesperson Jayme Gonzales said in a news release on Monday.

A criminal complaint is sealed, according to court records.

"This incident never should have happened," Sheriff John Allen said in a statement. "A convicted felon with an outstanding felony warrant, armed with a handgun and trafficking fentanyl, should not have been riding around our community. Our deputies should not have been put in a position where a simple traffic stop turns into a split-second fight for their lives."

Allen is asking "federal partners to review the case for potential federal prosecution," Gonzales said.

"We have been clear about our concerns with the 'catch and release' culture in New Mexico," Allen said. "This is exactly the type of case that demands the strongest possible consequences. We are committed to working with our federal partners so that when this suspect leaves the hospital, he faces meaningful accountability and is removed from our community for a long time."

At around 4:45 p.m. Nov. 12, she said, deputies were conducting a traffic stop near Central and Wisconsin NE when deputies learned the passenger — later identified as Baca — had a warrant related to the selling of fentanyl, court records state.

During the stop, deputies found "what appeared to be a firearm concealed in Baca's waistband," Gonzales said. "As deputies attempted to detain him, Baca ran and, according to body-worn camera footage, pointed a handgun toward multiple deputies," she said.

Deputies then shot Baca before rendering aid until emergency medical services personnel arrived, Gonzales said.

BCSO later discovered "significant quantities of suspected fentanyl" and other drugs "associated with Baca," she said.

During a Nov. 12 news conference, Allen said the deputies were conducting Operation Triple Beam, a crime-fighting partnership with federal law enforcement agencies that aims to charge suspects with federal crimes for which they will receive harsher sentences if convicted, the Journal reported.

It remains unclear how many deputies were involved. The sheriff's office will not release the deputies' names and the shooting remains under investigation, she said.

"Our deputies did exactly what we train them to do," Allen said. "They confronted a deadly threat, protected each other and the public, and then immediately rendered aid to the very person who had just pointed a gun at them. They saved his life. The community needs to understand how quickly these situations can unfold and how often it is repeat offenders at the center of them."