Stopped by a police officer for a traffic check, the drug dealer pretended to agree, got out of his car, pulled out a rifle and shot the officer dead. The police then chased him and there was a fierce gun battle.
According to the Daily Mail on April 11, the incident began when officer Darrian Jarrott, 28, of the New Mexico State Police (USA), asked Omar Felix Cueva – who the police said had a history of “crime and violence” and was involved in drug charges – to pull over for a traffic check on February 4.
After approaching the pickup, officer Jarrott said: “Hello sir. I’m Darrian Jarrott, of the New Mexico Police. The reason I’m stopping your car is because your windows are too dark. If you don’t mind, could you lower your car window or allow me to open the car door?”.
In the next exchange lasting about 3 minutes, the 28-year-old officer asked Cueva about his car insurance and confirmed his identity before asking the man to get into the police car for inspection.
When Cueva opened the car door to get out, officer Jarrott discovered an AR-15 rifle in the car and asked: “You have a gun, if possible, please give it to me for safety. Please leave the car to work.”
Video from a police car’s dash cam shows Cueva, getting out of a pickup truck parked on the side of the road, pulling out an AR-15 rifle and fatally shooting Darrian Jarrott.
Officer Jarrott fell to the ground. Cueva walked up and fired several more shots at the 28-year-old officer, including one to the head. He then drove away, leaving the officer’s body on the side of the road.
Less than a minute after Cueva fled, a Homeland Security Investigations agent arrived at the scene and told police that Officer Jarrott had been shot.
A dramatic pursuit of more than 40 miles ensued. During the chase, Cueva engaged in a shootout with New Mexico State Police, Cruces Police Department, Dona Ana County Sheriff’s Office and US Border Patrol.
Video shows Cueva’s pickup truck speeding wildly before it swerved and went into reverse on the highway after colliding with a police car.
The suspect ran out of the pickup truck with a handgun, hid behind the hood of the police car and opened fire on the officer hiding behind the car.
Dozens of shots were fired in the intense gunfight. Cueva was eventually shot and killed, lying next to the pickup truck. Several officers then cautiously approached the suspect.
Officer Adrian De La Garza of the Cruces, New Mexico, police department was wounded in the shootout and was taken to a hospital by helicopter. His injuries were determined to be non-life-threatening.
Robert Thornton, the head of the New Mexico police force, said Cueva had a “violent criminal history, including drug trafficking and other felonies.”
The suspect was first arrested at age 13 for vandalism. At the age of 21, he was also in trouble with the law for drug trafficking.
In his most recent crime, Cueva and two other suspects were arrested while carrying a loaded rifle and a bag containing nearly 7 kg of crystal meth worth $252,000 .
New Mexico police have not released the evidence seized from Cueva’s car and home after the incident on February 4.
Mr. Thornton shed tears at a press conference as he mourned Officer Jarrott, who was called a “hero”. Jarrott joined the New Mexico police force in 2015 after working as a traffic inspector at the New Mexico Department of Public Safety.
The governor of New Mexico has ordered flags to be flown at half-staff across the state following the incident.
