APD arrests auto thief, witness shots fired at victim
Wednesday, March 7, 2023
UPDATE: A city worker located the gun and provided it to police officers.
ALBUQUERQUE – APD officers are searching for a gun that was used overnight by an auto thief to shoot at the victim who was following him. Officers were approaching the vehicles at I-25 and the exit to San Mateo/Osuna when they witnessed the shooting.
The suspect, Fabian Gutierrez, was arrested after a pursuit through Albuquerque. Auto theft detectives identified Gutierrez, 32, as the same suspect in a similar incident in December 2022 where he fired shots at an APD officer.
The overnight incident started after midnight when police responded to a report of a stolen vehicle near I-40 and Carlisle Blvd., N.E. The victim was following his vehicle which was equipped with a tracking device. A second stolen vehicle was with the first one as part of a crew working together.
The suspect shot from the stolen car toward the victim on Osuna Rd, after exising northbound I-25. Officers later discovered a bullet casing on Osuna. Officers attempted a traffic stop, but the stolen vehicle looped around and entered I-25 heading southbound.
Officers belief the suspect tossed the gun from the vehicle anywhere from the Osuna on-ramp to southbound I-25, through the Big-I to westbound I-40, through the I-40-Coors Blvd. interchange, heading southbound to Central Ave.
The engine started to fail as the suspect drove westbound on I-40 between 6th St and 12th St. Officers sparks on the roadway, and they believe the gun may have been tossed at that point.
If anyone finds a gun along that route, please contact police at 505-242-COPS.
Gutierrez is charged with Receiving/Transferring MV; Aggravated fleeing an officer; Felon in possession of a firearm; Shooting at or from a MV w/o GBH; Felony Warrant.
###