The man suspected of the Feb. 23 carjacking of a Toyota Prius from a 76-year-old in Las Cruces is behind bars on a similar charge in Luna County.
Stephano R. “Benjamin” Hart, 24, of Surprise, Ariz., was charged Thursday with one count of unlawful taking of a motor vehicle, a fourth-degree felony. Hart was arrested March 27 in Deming and faces a similar charge there for an incident that also occurred in February.
At about noon on Friday, Feb. 23, Las Cruces police were dispatched to the report of a carjacking on the 900 block of west Amador Avenue. Police learned that a 76-year-old man was in his 2017 Toyota Prius, waiting to turn onto Amador, when he was approached by a man who initially asked for a ride to the hospital. However, within seconds, the owner of the Prius was pushed out of his vehicle and the suspect got behind the wheel and stole it.
The suspect was last seen in the Prius driving erratically and heading east on Amador Avenue. The owner of the vehicle was not injured.
Upon further investigation, police learned the suspect had previously been in the nearby Horse ‘N Hound Feed and Supply store and was captured on store surveillance cameras. Investigators also learned the suspect frequented the nearby Community of Hope. The suspect was ultimately identified as Stephano Hart but also goes by the name Benjamin Hart.
LCPD investigators learned Hart was arrested March 27 in Deming. He is suspected of stealing a 2007 Chevrolet Silverado in Deming on Feb. 22. Police believe he drove that pickup to Las Cruces where he abandoned it before carjacking the Toyota Prius on Feb. 23. Investigators believe he drove the Prius to El Paso where he abandoned it and then purchased a bus ticket to Phoenix, Ariz.
On Thursday, April 19, Hart was served with a warrant on the Las Cruces charge while in custody at the Luna County Detention Center. He’s expected to remain incarcerated there until his transfer to Las Cruces.
Information from Las Cruces Police