Las Cruces Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information that helps identify the occupants of a Volkswagen that was known to be in the area where two crimes and a high-speed pursuit were committed in the past few days.
On Saturday, April 22, the vehicle was seen near the area of the Townhouse Motel late Friday evening or early Saturday morning before 21-year-old Benjamin Montoya was shot and killed. Police made an arrest in Montoya’s shooting but believe the occupants of the Jetta may have further information on the homicide.
The Volkswagen was also used by occupants who stole a power generator outside of city limits on April 24. The vehicle was captured on surveillance video during the commission of that crime.
The following day, at about 4 p.m. on April 25, the vehicle was spotted by two Dona Ana County Sheriff’s Office deputies traveling south on Valley Drive near Westwind Road. The deputies tried to conduct a traffic stop on the vehicle but the driver made a U-turn on Valley Drive and led deputies on a dangerous pursuit. The pursuit lasted several minutes and reached speeds in excess of 100 MPH before deputies called off the pursuit for safety reasons. The Volkswagen was last seen heading north on Valley Drive.
The vehicle was occupied by a male driver and a female passenger. The Volkswagen is said to be charcoal gray in color with black rims and tinted windows.
Anyone with information that can help identify the occupants of the Volkswagen, or who can help police locate the vehicle, is asked to call Las Cruces Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or send a tip by text message to CRIMES (274637), keyword LCTIPS.
The Crime Stoppers number and text messaging services are operational 24 hours a day and you do not have to give your name to collect a reward.
Information from Las Cruces Police