Doña Ana County Sheriff’s detectives have arrested the man who was reportedly part of a weekend house party west of Las Cruces early Sunday morning that escalated into a street fight and was captured on video.
Deric Edward Joyce, 22, turned himself in Thursday afternoon at the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Department Anthony substation. Joyce was transported to the Doña Ana County Detention Center shortly after being taken into custody. He is charged with aggravated battery, battery, and public affray. He is being held on a $20,000 cash bond.
According to detectives, Joyce is the man who was seen on video throwing an 18-year-old Las Cruces man to the ground before reportedly kicking the victim in the face.
According to court documents, six witnesses who were part of a large gathering of people at a party in the 6000 block of Vista de Oro just after midnight on Sept. 13 told detectives Joyce was with a group of men seen leaving the residence after Doña Ana County Sheriff’s deputies arrived to disperse the party.
More than a dozen calls to the Mesilla Valley Regional Dispatch Authority alerted deputies to the party. Neighbors told dispatchers there were “hundreds of people” in attendance, and a responding deputy estimated there were more than 50 cars parked for approximately four blocks.
Detectives say witnesses described Joyce as agitated toward the 18-year-old victim and one of the victim’s friends. At least one witness said the group of people Joyce was allegedly with, who were all traveling together in a red Jeep, urged Joyce to leave.
A video that was taken that night shows Joyce involved in a fight with the victim. In the video, Joyce is allegedly seen picking up the victim and then throwing him to the ground. Once the victim was on the ground, Joyce allegedly kicked the victim in the face.
The victim was transported to a Las Cruces hospital, but was later airlifted to University Medical Center in El Paso. Detectives learned the victim suffered from bleeding and tears to his brain, fractures to the sinus and orbital cavities, and a broken jaw.
Information gathered during the investigation tipped off detectives to a separate fight that happened about an hour after the party on Vista de Oro ended.
A video of the second fight was also turned over to detectives, who say Joyce is seen at that incident as well. The second fight allegedly happened at the Casa Bandera apartments on University and El Paseo Road sometime around 2 a.m. Sunday.
Detectives would like to know more about the driver of the red Jeep, and are hoping to identify the victim who was injured in the fight at Casa Bandera. Anyone with information is asked to call the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Department at (575) 525-8810 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). Tips can also be sent via text message to CRIMES (274637) using the keyword LCTIPS.
Information from Dona Ana County