CCSO Stops ABQ Bank Robber

LAGUNA, N.M. –

Laguna Police Department attempted to stop an erratic driver on Interstate 40. The driver was reportedly causing near-accidents when LPD caught up with him. LPD initiated a traffic stop in the early afternoon on June 14, but instead of lawfully pulling off to the side of the road, the driver sped off. Acoma Police Department, New Mexico State Police and the Cibola County Sheriff’s Office assisted LPD with catching the offender.

Law enforcement caught up with and arrested Albuquerque man Carlito M. Quintana on aggravated fleeing of law enforcement, criminal damage to property, and receiving or transferring of a stolen motor vehicle. Quintana was also booked on a federal warrant he has for a bank robbery in Albuquerque. All people are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

The Chase

When Laguna Police Officers responded to a call of an erratic driver on Interstate 40, they didn’t expect that he would allegedly drive away and lead police on a high-speed pursuit.

LPD caught up with the driver heading west at milepost 117. The driver allegedly took LPD on a long ride, with the Cibola County Sheriff’s Office, New Mexico State Police, and Acoma Police Department joining in to lend assistance.

As the driver approached the 82 milepost, he allegedly cut to the eastbound side of the road by using the median, coming onto the eastbound lanes with oncoming traffic. As the driver approached Grants, Grants Police Department took steps to close the interstate exits and prevent the driver from entering the city. The driver allegedly continued to elude police officers, not taking any exits.

Eventually, the driver broke away from the road and onto private property within the Acoma Reservation. According to the Cibola County Sheriff Tony Mace, the driver allegedly crashed through several fences. As the driver allegedly continued eluding police officer, his truck became stuck. CCSO Deputies and an unidentified NMSP officer managed to apprehend the man, identified by the sheriff’s office as 25-year-old Calito Quintana of Albuquerque.

Quintana was booked into the Cibola County Correctional Center and is facing charges of aggravated fleeing of law enforcement, criminal damage to property, and receiving or transferring of a stolen motor vehicle. He is being held by federal law enforcement due to a connection with a bank robbery which occurred in Albuquerque.