A shocking case of brutality has unfolded in New Mexico, as Richard Ruiz Leyva, 36, of Las Cruces, pled guilty to assaulting federal and local law enforcement officers.
According to the plea agreement, Leyva will be sentenced to 82 months in prison, followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court.
The incident occurred on August 19, 2016, when Leyva used his vehicle as a deadly weapon in an attempt to flee from federal and local law enforcement officers who were conducting a traffic stop due to an outstanding warrant for his arrest.
Leyva admitted to driving directly at a USMS Federally Deputized Task Force Officer who had exited his vehicle, but turned when the officer fired his weapon at Leyva in an attempt to stop him.
The Las Cruces offices of the FBI and the USMS, along with the Las Cruces Police Department, investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah M. Davenport of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office is prosecuting the case.
Leyva remains in custody pending a sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.
Related Federal Cases
- Richard Ruiz Leyva, Assault on Federal and Local Officers, New Mexico 2016 · Puerto Rico
- Robert Gieswein, Assaulting Police Officers, Colorado 2021 · Illinois
- Larry Lee Emerson, Jr., Assaulting a Federal Officer, New Mexico 2024 · Colorado
- Jordan Roybal, Assaulting a BIA Officer, New Mexico 2016 · Texas
- Richard Howieson, Federal Carjacking, New Mexico 2016 · Texas
Key Facts
- State: New Mexico
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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