EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — A 21-year-old man and suspect in a Las Cruces murder has been sentenced in El Paso after he aimed a gun at police here when they were going to arrest him during a manhunt.
Court records show that Luciano Roman Valente Frias, a man wanted in connection with the shooting death of 20-year-old Benjamin Hernandez in Las Cruces, was sentenced Thursday in El Paso to 10 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to three counts of assaulting a public servant.
The charges stem from a shooting that happened on March 5, 2025, near the intersection of Americas and Alameda, when the El Paso Police Department’s Lone Star Fugitive Task Force attempted to arrest Frias for the Las Cruces murder.
Shooting in Lower Valley leaves one seriously injured near Americas and Alameda (credit: KFOX14/CBS4)
Now that Frias has been convicted and sentenced, the Dona Ana District Attorney’s office said it now plans to take the necessary steps to extradite Frias to New Mexico to face the murder charge.
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According to the arrest report, on March 5, 2025, Frias was spotted coming out of a Taco Bell located at 91 S. Americas Ave. in the Lower Valley when officers approached him.
The report states that Frias took off running toward a McDonald’s in the area, fired at the officers and then tried to kill himself but failed.
According to the report, Frias admitted that he pointed the gun at his head and pulled the trigger, but the gun didn’t work. He then figured the police would shoot and kill him, so he said he aimed the pistol at the officers.
Frias suffered several gunshot wounds and was rushed to the hospital.
Mugshot of Luciano Roman Valente Frias. Credit:
RELATED: Shooting in El Paso linked to Las Cruces Sonic murder
Frias is wanted after he allegedly killed Hernandez, a co-worker at the Sonic Drive-in near the Mesilla Valley Mall in Las Cruces on March 4, 2025.
According to police documents, witnesses said Frias and Hernandez got into an argument over food orders, an argument that escalated into a fight and ended with three gunshots and Frias allegedly running away to El Paso.
20-year-old Benjamin Hernandez. Credit: GoFundMe
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