Two men accused of stealing truck, throwing tools at police car during chase

Two men were arrested after reportedly swiping a dump truck in Moriarty, shooting at witnesses, then leading police on a chase that resulted in a multi-vehicle crash in Albuquerque on Saturday.

Miguel Pena-Guardado, 37, of Albuquerque, is charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, three counts of auto burglary, auto theft and aggravated fleeing a law enforcement officer. Maclen Suarez-Villalobos, 40, of Los Lunas, is charged with three counts of auto burglary, aggravated assault on a peace officer, auto theft and criminal damage to property.

The two men are in a hospital, but will later be booked at the Metropolitan Detention Center, New Mexico State Police spokesperson Ricardo Breceda said in a news release.

A third person may have been involved, he said.

"Investigators believe this individual may have been dropped off before the pursuit began," Breceda said. If anyone has information, he said, they can call 505-841-9256.

Witnesses identified Pena-Guardado and Suarez-Villalobos as the suspects, according to an arrest warrant affidavit filed in Torrance County Magistrate Court.

At about 10:45 a.m. Saturday, the Torrance County Sheriff's Office issued a Be on the Lookout (BOLO) alert after receiving a report of suspicious activity at Gonzalez Contractors in the 1400 block of Abrahames Road, near Interstate 40, in Moriarty.

Video surveillance showed the men tried to take different vehicles and equipment but they were unsuccessful, police said.

An hour later, the affidavit states, an employee told police she and her husband were walking through the parking lot when they saw one of the men get in a dump truck — with a second man in the driver's seat — and drive off.

"A gray pickup, believed to be associated with the suspects, also fled, suggesting the involvement of a third individual," Breceda said.

The couple told police they followed the men when the dump truck stopped and blocked the road, the affidavit states. The couple told police the pickup had parked on its passenger side in front of the truck when they heard a gunshot and saw a person — later identified as Pena-Guardado — point a gun at them before driving off, police said.

At around 10:55 a.m., a State Police officer found the pickup near N.M. 333 and Skyline Drive in Edgewood, according to the affidavit.

The officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop, but Pena-Guardado accelerated then got on westbound I-40, police said. As he drove at "high rates of speed, swerving in and out of traffic in a reckless manner," Suarez-Villalobos threw metal tools at the police car, breaking its windshield, according to the affidavit.

Pena-Guardado kept driving until he reached the Tramway exit, where an officer used a pursuit intervention technique maneuver that caused the truck to spin, cross into oncoming traffic and hit two vehicles, the affidavit states. The occupants of the two vehicles were hospitalized with undisclosed injuries, Breceda said.

In March, Pena-Guardado pleaded not guilty to receiving or transferring a stolen vehicle and aggravated fleeing an officer, according to court records. In January 2024, Suarez-Villalobos failed to appear in court on aggravated fleeing an officer, concealing identity and possession of a controlled substance charges, court records state.