DE BACA COUNTY, N.M. – New Mexico State Police arrested a California murder suspect on Interstate 40 on Thursday.
On July 16 at about 6:30 a.m., NMSP received information that a homicide suspect from San Bernardino, California, was traveling westbound on Interstate 40.
Police identified the suspect as 27-year-old Raymond Garcia. Police said Garcia was considered armed and extremely dangerous.
Officers got a description of a commercial vehicle he was driving while investigators in California worked to establish Garcia’s location. As updated location information came in, NMSP officers and the Santa Rosa Police Department said they carried out a high-risk felony stop on I-40 near mile marker 276.
Because of the threat police said Garcia posed, officers temporarily closed the westbound lanes.
Police said the driver followed officers’ commands, got out of the vehicle and officers detained him during the investigation. Police said the driver confirmed Garcia was his co-driver and was asleep in the sleeper compartment.
Officers then ordered Garcia to get out of the vehicle. Police said Garcia refused and barricaded himself inside the cab.
After continued negotiations, NMSP said Garcia showed his hands through the driver’s side window, got out, and officers took him into custody without incident.
Police booked Garcia into the De Baca County Detention Center on the California murder warrant.
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