PUEBLO OF LAGUNA, N.M. – On March 14, 2019, Laguna police officers were led on a highspeed chase down Interstate 40 before finally arresting Ivan Allen, a 40-year-old man from Moreno Valley, California. On May 17 Allen was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison for assaulting federal officers, Allen pleaded guilty to the charge.
According to FBI Special Agent Jordan Spaeth, Laguna Police Officers are federal agents “by virtue of [the] Bureau of Indian Affairs Special Law Enforcement Commission.”
According to the arrest report, Laguna police attempted to initiate a traffic stop on a sedan which was driving without its headlights on that was driven by Allen. Instead of stopping, Allen fled from the Laguna police, reaching speeds as high as 114 miles per hour. The chase came to an end as Allen crashed his sedan into a metal barrier, he entered and exited his vehicle multiple times before assaulting a Laguna officer, attempting at one point to take a rifle from the inside of a police cruiser.
The arrest report states that Allen was tased and pepper sprayed multiple times by the responding Laguna officers, but according to the report that only served to aggravate Allen. After almost 10 minutes of struggling with Laguna officers, he was subdued and taken into custody.
When Allen is released from prison, he will be subjected to three years of supervised release, according to court documents. This case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of New Mexico.