By Vic Vela
Albuquerque Journal
ESPAÑOLA, N.M. — Police in Española opened fire on a burglary suspect after he allegedly slipped out of his handcuffs and fled behind the wheel of the very squad car in which he was being held Monday afternoon.
Josh Quintana, 25, was shot once in the neck and once in the thigh. Two officers fired the shots into the squad car in which Quintana was driving away after he and four other suspects were arrested at the scene of a north-side burglary, according to Española Police Chief Julian Gonzales.
Details were sketchy late Monday, but Gonzales said Quintana - who survived the shooting and was not seriously injured - was in the back of a police car and waiting to be transported for booking when the incident occurred.
Quintana allegedly managed to slip out of his cuffs from behind his back. He then rolled down the back seat window and crawled out. Then Quintana jumped into the front seat of the unit and drove off.
Two officers shot at the car as it sped away, firing two to three bullets that ended up “grazing” the suspect, Gonzales said. A third officer was there but did not fire his weapon. None of the cops was injured.
Quintana eventually ditched the car and fled on foot. He was arrested at a nearby abandoned house by Rio Arriba County Sheriff’s deputies. Gonzales did not know how much time elapsed between Quintana driving off and his capture.
The incident was set in motion after police responded to a call around 3 p.m. from a man inside a residence on Sunset Street who reported that burglars were breaking into his home. Police arrived shortly after that call and arrested Quintana and four other suspects.
Sometime after police placed the suspects into custody and while they were processing the crime scene, Quintana was able to escape.
Gonzales did not know if the others arrested for the breakin - whose names he did not have as of late Monday - were inside other police vehicles at the time. Gonzales said Quintana was alone inside the particular vehicle he drove away in.
So how did someone in police custody manage to not only slip out of his handcuffs but also drive away in a squad car with other officers around?
“All of that will be determined during the investigation,” the chief said. “Right now, we’re concerned for the officers involved. We’re glad that Mr. Quintana didn’t end up getting killed.”
Gonzales described Quintana as a heroin addict and someone who has been “in and out of prison since he was 14.”
“Those guys (addicts) are pretty skinny and can slip out of cuffs pretty easily,” he said. Because Gonzales did not have an exact birth date for Quintana, the Journal was unable to look up the suspect’s criminal history online.
Gonzales did not release the names of the officers involved in the shooting. One of them has more than 15 years of experience on the force, while the other one has been with the department for two or three years, he said. The officer who did not fire his weapon - a sergeant - has about 15 years of experience with the department, Gonzales said.
Gonzales said the three officers involved will be placed on a short, paid administrative leave, which is standard procedure for officers involved in shootings. State Police will handle the investigation of the shooting.
Copyright 2009 Albuquerque Journal