Albuquerque, NM (KKOB) – Thanks to the help of a city bus driver the man wanted in the Friday afternoon shooting of another man in downtown Albuquerque was arrested Saturday morning on the city’s far west side.
APD officers in the Southwest Area Command arrested 36-year-old Juan Maestas, around 7:40 a.m. near the city’s Central and Unser Transit Center.
A bus driver called 911 to report the suspect was on his bus and trying to hide his identity. The driver said there were photos of the suspect on the bus.
Police report that as officers approached, Maestas walked toward an arroyo and then started running toward a nearby neighborhood with a handgun in his right hand. Officers ran after Maestas and used what they say was “a less-lethal weapon” to take him into custody.
“I appreciate the great teamwork to make this arrest,” APD Chief Cecily Barker said. “While we often highlight the role of technology, we still need rely heavily on witnesses and alert citizens who can make the difference in solving cases. Detectives from different units worked together to quickly identify the suspect; a city bus driver spotted him and called 911; and field officers jumped into action and safely took him into custody. Many others played supporting, but critical roles to get a dangerous criminal off the streets.”
Maestas is charged for the fatal shooting of 43-year old Tavis Kimbrough, on Friday in the area of 2nd St. and Marquette Ave., in downtown.
Police reported that surveillance video showed Maestas standing at the corner of 2nd St. and Marquette, then walking toward two men at a bus stop. The video showed Maestas make a motion toward the midsection of one of the men; an altercation took place and the man fell to the ground. Maestas then walked away from the bus stop, toward Marquette. According to witnesses, Maestas fired two rounds, paused, and fired two more rounds.
As homicide detectives investigated the incident, they learned details about another shooting that took place on Wednesday, Sept. 2, at the Maverick gas station located at 3601 Montgomery Blvd., N.E. APD’s Gun Violence Reduction Unit identified Maestas as the suspect in that shooting.
Homicide detectives compared video from the two shootings with various photos of Maestas who had previous arrests and concluded he was the suspect for both shootings as he also wore the same clothes during both incidents.
Detectives secured an arrest warrant for Maestas overnight, charging him with an open count of murder and tampering with evidence.
According to reports, the victim in the gas station shooting told officers he was driving with his daughter after getting gas at the Maverick station when he noticed a man nearby. He then heard 6-8 gunshots and his rear window was shattered. The victim realized he was shot in the left arm and drove himself to the hospital. Detectives are now pursuing additional charges against Maestas for this shooting.
