Derrick Begay, Assault on a Federal Officer, New Mexico 2023

Derrick Begay, Assault on a Federal Officer, New Mexico 2023

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - In a shocking turn of events, Derrick Begay, 33, of Shiprock, New Mexico, has pleaded guilty to assaulting a federal officer.

According to court records, the incident occurred on January 22, when a federal special agent with the Bureau of Indian Affairs made contact with Begay on the side of a road in Shiprock. The special agent requested that Begay get out of the vehicle, but Begay did not comply.

At one point, Begay lunged out of his vehicle and hit the special agent in the face. Begay then got back into his vehicle and fled the scene with law enforcement in pursuit. The pursuit reached speeds of over 100 mph, with poor weather conditions and school buses on the roadway, prompting law enforcement to call off the chase.

Begay was later arrested on May 1 and is currently in custody pending sentencing.

Begay faces up to eight years in prison for his crime.

The Farmington office of the FBI investigated this case, with assistance from the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Navajo Nation Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney David P. Cowen is prosecuting the case.

Begay is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-nm/pr/shiprock-man-pleads-guilty-assaulting-federal-officer