Albuquerque Journal
POJOAQUE, N.M. — Two men wanted for an armed robbery at the Dairy Queen in Pojoaque over the weekend and for another heist in Española this week in which a man was shot were arrested south of Santa Fe Thursday morning after a car pursuit by Santa Fe County sheriff’s deputies.
“They were very dangerous and a threat to the community and it was imperative to keep them off streets,” said sheriff’s Maj. Ken Johnson.
Stephan Bustamante, 21, and Saul Rodriguez, 17, were caught after they lost control of the silver 1996 Ford Fusion they were in and hit an embankment near the N.M. 14/N.M. 599 intersection.
They ran into a nearby field behind the Valle Vista subdivision, but didn’t get more than 200 yards before deputies took them into custody, Johnson said.
The chase started about 10 a.m. Thursday, when an undercover deputy spotted the Fusion, for which Española police had issued an alert after an Española man was shot and robbed on Wednesday. The car was on Airport Road.
The officer followed the car and called in patrol officers. When the two men in the car realized they were being followed, they sped south on Cerrillos Road and onto N.M. 14. During the high-speed chase, the Fusion struck a motorist’s vehicle, causing minor damage, according to Johnson.
The patrol car of a deputy joining the pursuit from N.M. 599 was nearly hit by the Fusion when the suspects lost control trying to turn onto N.M. 599 from N.M. 14 and then hit the embankment.
Bustamante and Rodriguez are now charged for the Dairy Queen robbery in Pojoaque Saturday night in which two robbers, one with a gun and one with a knife, got away with $333. The robbers were wearing hoodies and bandanas over their faces.
The gunman fired a shot at the Dairy Queen manager but missed.
They also face charges for the Española robbery. About 1:50 p.m. Wednesday, a man identified as Wayne Lovato was approached by two men with bandanas over their faces in his yard in the Ranchitos area in north Española. Lovato was robbed of cash and shot in the abdomen. He was in stable condition Thursday, police said.
After Thursday’s chase, the Fusion the suspects were driving was impounded pending a search warrant for further evidence. No gun was found Thursday, pending the vehicle search, Johnson said.
Bustamante, with an Española address, was charged by Santa Fe County officers with armed robbery, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated fleeing, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, conspiracy to commit robbery and resisting or obstructing an officer.
He was also booked on an Española Police Department warrant charging him with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, robbery and conspiracy and was being held in the Santa Fe County jail on a $100,000 cash-only bond.
Rodriguez - who Española police believe was the shooter in the Wednesday robbery - is facing charges of armed robbery, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and conspiracy to commit robbery.
The case is still under investigation and additional charges may follow, according to the Santa Fe County sheriff’s office.
Copyright 2012 Albuquerque Journal