A Bernalillo County deputy was punched in the face while trying to arrest a man spotted openly using narcotics near Isleta and Arenal in Albuquerque, according to video released by the sheriff's office. The man, identified as Francisco Gonzales, resisted the deputy, threw the punch, and then tried to flee before he was taken into custody.
Deputy Encounters Gonzales Mid-Drug Use
According to KRQE, the footage shows a BCSO deputy who came across Gonzales openly using narcotics near the intersection of Isleta and Arenal. When the deputy moved to make the arrest, Gonzales did not go quietly.
The station reports that Gonzales resisted arrest and punched the deputy in the face before attempting to get away. The confrontation ended with Gonzales in custody, and the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office later shared the video publicly, per the outlet's reporting.
Charges Filed Against Gonzales
Gonzales now faces charges of resisting arrest, attempted tampering with evidence, and possession of drug paraphernalia, the station notes. New Mexico's tampering-with-evidence statute, as laid out in bill text on file with the New Mexico Legislature, covers destroying, changing, hiding, placing, or fabricating physical evidence with intent to prevent someone's apprehension, prosecution, or conviction, or to throw suspicion of a crime onto another person.
A Separate Incident Involving the Sheriff Himself
A separate confrontation involving Bernalillo County law enforcement was also caught on camera. In that incident, footage showed a man named Kalen Dreyer swinging at Bernalillo County Sheriff Manny Gonzales during a speech at the Revel Entertainment Center, striking him in the hands before being tackled and arrested, the same news outlet reported. Dreyer was charged with battery and resisting an officer in that case.
Both incidents involved confrontations with Bernalillo County law enforcement personnel caught on video. No further details about the timing of the Isleta and Arenal arrest or the deputy involved have been released.
