EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — A social media video showing a man pointing a gun at people stopped at a traffic light led investigators to a suspect now in custody and facing two felony assault charges.
The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office said it became aware of the video at about 5:50 p.m. on Tuesday after it circulated on the popular social media account therealfitfamelpaso.
The incident was reported near the intersection of Pellicano Drive and Sunfire Boulevard, where a male subject approached a vehicle stopped at a traffic light and pointed a firearm at its occupants.
Deputies later identified and contacted the victims, who reported the encounter had happened on Sunday.
The victims said that while they were stopped at a traffic light, an unknown male approached their vehicle in an aggressive manner, yelling and brandishing a firearm.
The suspect pointed the weapon at both occupants, placing them in fear for their lives, the sheriff’s office said.
Investigators identified the suspect as 25-year-old Julian Ceasar Valdez of Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Julian Ceasar Valdez (credit: EPCSO)
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Two warrants for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon were obtained, according to the sheriff’s office.
Deputies, working with the Las Cruces Police Department, located Valdez at a residence in the 300 block of Jasper Drive in Las Cruces.
At about 10 a.m. April 8, 2026, Valdez was taken into custody without incident and booked into the Doña Ana County Detention Center.
He is pending extradition back to El Paso County, Texas, where he will face two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
“This case highlights the power of social media when it works alongside law enforcement to keep our community safe,” Sheriff Oscar Ugarte said. “We thank our deputies and the Las Cruces Police Department for their collaboration and swift work in identifying and apprehending this individual.”
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