A driver sped away from a Mesilla deputy late Friday night, tearing through the town's historic plaza district before crashing near Calle de Norte in a shower of sparks and dust. Andrew Castro-Figueroa was arrested after the pursuit and later booked on charges connected to the chase and a breath test that returned 0.14.
According to KFOX, the incident began after 11 p.m. on September 18 when a Mesilla deputy spotted a red 2023 Ford F-150 accelerating away from the Mesilla Town Plaza. The truck turned south onto Avenida de Mesilla and raced toward Calle de Sur at a high rate of speed before the driver doubled back north, again refusing to stop for deputies. The station reports the truck kicked up debris, dirt and dust that made visibility difficult for pursuing officers, and that the vehicle produced sparks during the crash before continuing north on Avenida de Mesilla and finally stopping on Calle de Norte after turning west off the main corridor.
Driver Admitted Seeing Emergency Lights, Deputies Say
Deputies said Castro-Figueroa admitted he saw the emergency equipment behind him but decided not to stop, per the same KFOX account. He agreed to a breath test afterward, which returned a reading of 0.14, according to the Mesilla Marshals.
Castro-Figueroa was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and with resisting, evading and obstructing an officer, the outlet's report notes. Under New Mexico Statute § 30-22-1, willfully refusing to stop when signaled by a uniformed officer in a marked police vehicle constitutes misdemeanor resisting, evading or obstructing, according to Justia.
Mesilla's Marshal Department
Mesilla's board packet lists a Marshal's Department and a marshal, according to the Town of Mesilla.
Emergency dispatches for the pursuit would have flowed through the Mesilla Valley Regional Dispatch Authority, which coordinates calls for Mesilla, Las Cruces and four other jurisdictions and handled 347,187 calls in 2024, as Hoodline has previously reported. Castro-Figueroa was ultimately booked into the Doña Ana County Detention Center following the crash, according to a post on Facebook.
A Corridor With a History of Danger
Avenida de Mesilla, where the chase unfolded, is a key arterial linking Interstate 10 to the historic Mesilla district, and it has seen serious traffic incidents before.
Alcohol-related crashes remain a persistent problem across the region.
No additional details on Castro-Figueroa's case, including any court appearance, have been released.
