A 38-year-old Horizon City man is facing multiple felony charges after police say he sped through a stop sign, accelerated his truck toward officers, and threatened to kill them during a confrontation that began as a routine welfare check. Andy Navarro was arrested on two counts each of aggravated assault against a public servant and obstruction or retaliation, along with a charge of evading arrest with a vehicle, following the incident near the 14000 block of Seth Payne Drive.
According to the El Paso Times, Horizon City police officers were responding to a welfare check on Seth Payne Drive last Saturday afternoon, around 2:40 p.m., when Navarro allegedly blew past a stop sign at high speed and nearly hit a patrol car, according to the criminal complaint affidavit. An officer reportedly lost sight of Navarro's truck before finding him pulling into his house about two blocks away.
That's when things escalated. Per the affidavit, Navarro allegedly followed the officers for about 500 feet to the house where they were handling the welfare check, then refused an officer's order to move his vehicle out of the road. He also allegedly accused the officers of running the stop sign themselves, telling one, according to the report, that if it was him, they would have cited him for running the stop sign.
Truck Accelerates Toward Officers, Who Take Cover
Navarro was ordered to stay outside his house, but the situation reportedly grew more dangerous from there. Officers say Navarro allegedly blocked an officer from getting out of the patrol vehicle, then allegedly pointed at the officer before accelerating his truck toward them. Officers told investigators they feared for their lives and took cover behind their patrol unit to avoid being hit, with Navarro allegedly avoiding hitting them only with a last-second turn.
Amid the chaos, Navarro allegedly shouted that officers could die for being on his property, according to court documents, and told his wife to grab his gun. Per authorities and the court documents cited by the paper, he also allegedly threatened to kill the Horizon City officers outright. When an officer tried to stop him, Navarro allegedly refused to pull over and instead evaded the officers in his truck before he was ultimately taken into custody without further incident.
Booking, Bond, and an Unlisted Defense Attorney
Navarro was booked into the El Paso County Jail the day of the incident. He was later released after posting a surety bond totaling $145,000, and as of the report, no attorney is listed in court records on his behalf. Horizon City Police Department spokesperson Carolyn Morales confirmed in a news release that officers arrested Navarro in connection with the charges.
The charges Navarro faces carry steep statutory exposure under Texas law. Aggravated assault against a public servant is a first-degree felony under Texas Penal Code Section 22.02, punishable by five to 99 years or life in prison and a fine of up to $10,000 — and Navarro faces two such counts. Obstruction or retaliation against a public servant is a third-degree felony under Texas Penal Code Section 36.06, carrying two to 10 years and up to a $10,000 fine, with two counts also filed against him.
Why a Truck Can Count as a Deadly Weapon
Evading arrest with a vehicle is likewise a third-degree felony in Texas when a driver intentionally flees from a peace officer attempting a lawful arrest or detention, a provision meant to deter dangerous vehicular pursuits, according to a summary of Texas Penal Code Section 38.04. Prosecutors do not need a firearm to pursue elevated assault charges in cases like this one; under Texas Penal Code Section 1.07(a)(17)(B), a motor vehicle can be legally classified as a deadly weapon if the manner of its use is capable of causing death or serious bodily injury, according to a case summary published by CaseMine. Taken together, the stacked counts against Navarro could expose him to cumulative state prison sentences spanning multiple decades if he is convicted on all charges, according to a legal comparison from Versus Texas.
The confrontation unfolded in a city that has changed considerably in recent years. Horizon City sits roughly 18 miles east of El Paso and has grown from 5,577 residents in 2000 to more than 22,400 in the 2020 Census, with an estimated population topping 25,000 by 2026, according to World Population Review. That growth has placed increasing demands on a police department that operates with just 30 sworn full-time officers under Police Chief Marco A. Vargas, alongside two administrative assistants and 21 telecommunicators.
Suspects arrested by Horizon City officers, including Navarro, are transported and processed through the El Paso County Sheriff's Office detention system, which runs the Downtown Detention Facility and the El Paso County Jail Annex. The department also maintains active agreements with regional agencies, including the county sheriff's office and the Emergency Services District 1 Fire Marshal's Office, for joint emergency responses and evidence collection in serious cases like this one.
Statewide, violence against law enforcement remains a persistent concern. Texas Department of Public Safety reporting has recorded more than 4,800 officer assaults in a single year across the state, underscoring how incidents like the one in Horizon City fit into a broader pattern tracked by state officials. It remains unclear whether body-camera or dash-camera footage captured Navarro's alleged actions, and whether officers recovered any firearm from his residence after he allegedly told his wife to grab his gun. It is also unknown who, if anyone, will represent Navarro going forward, since no defense attorney was listed in court records as of the initial report.
