A man was arrested Monday after he allegedly aimed a firearm at several people inside New Mexico’s Downs Racetrack & Casino.
Sign for New Mexico’s Downs Racetrack & Casino, pictured above. A man allegedly aimed a gun at people in the casino. (Image: American Casino Guide)
The suspect, Deandre Davis, who lives in California, discarded the gun before he tried to flee from the Albuquerque casino after spotting police officers, KRQE, a local TV station, reported.
But Davis was recorded on surveillance cameras pointing the gun, the Albuquerque Police Department said.
Soon after the incident, police apprehended Davis.
He was charged with negligent use of a deadly weapon, resisting arrest, and tampering with evidence, KRQE said.
The incident began when Davis was a passenger on a city bus. He was punched in the face by a passenger, KRQE said.
Davis then pulled out a firearm. He got off the bus when the man who punched him left the bus. Davis then made his way into the casino.
Murder Near Casino
In an unrelated incident, on Feb. 27 a murder took place in the area around Albuquerque’s Route 66 Casino Hotel. The suspect turned out to be the victim’s son, the local sheriff’s office said.
Darrin Martinez, 39, was arrested for the murder of his father, Larry Martinez. He is charged with second-degree murder and aggravated battery resulting in great bodily harm, the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office added.
Larry Martinez, 63, died following a fight involving several people, the sheriff’s office said. Darrin Martinez was the main aggressor in the struggle, authorities concluded. It also involved Larry Martinez and Devin Martinez, 30, deputies said. Devin and Darrin are brothers.
The fight erupted after an argument involving several people in the outdoor location. They were drinking and firing guns, deputies said. Officers arrived after getting calls from witnesses about the escalating confrontation.
The violent crime apparently had no link to the nearby Route 66 Casino.
Stolen Van
In still another unrelated incident, a location near Albuquerque’s Route 66 Casino was the site of a prisoner stealing a prisoner van in March after faking an illness and overpowering a deputy, authorities revealed.
The inmate, identified as Josh Hall, 34, was being transported in the van, KRQE said. He complained to a McKinley County deputy driving the van that he was having a heart attack. He said he could not breathe.
The deputy stopped the van near Route 66 Casino. He got out of the van and went to assist Hall. But instead, Hall assaulted the deputy, deputies later said.
Hall eventually got behind the steering wheel of the van and drove off, deputies said. The van eventually was spotted some 30 miles from the casino. A police vehicle rammed the van, and it was pinned. Hall was apprehended.
KRQE further reported that Hall was wounded by a federal agent on March 15 near Route 66 Casino. The incident began when agents from the federal Homeland Security Investigations agency were at the Route 66 Travel Center. They went up to a pickup truck that turned out to be stolen, authorities said.
Hall was outside and then entered the truck. He used the truck to ram a vehicle driven by one of the agents, authorities said. The agent then shot Hall.
Hall was apprehended on March 15 and transported to a local hospital. He received treatment and then was booked in jail
It was not immediately clear how the cases were adjudicated.
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