ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Two female suspects are in custody after opening fire on New Mexico deputies Tuesday morning and then leading law enforcement personnel on a chase that turned into a standoff, authorities said.
The chain of events began when Lizeth Iguado, 33 and Felicia Gonzales, 39 reportedly tried to carjack a vehicle at gunpoint in Albuquerque’s southern outskirts. Deputies located the suspects and were fired upon when they attempted to detain them, according to the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office.
BCSO provided the following overview:
At approximately 10:15 AM deputies responded to a report of an attempted car jacking with a firearm in the area of Coors and Pajarito SW. The calling party reported they were following the offenders, possibly two females that were driving a black jeep. Deputies located the Jeep in the area and were fired upon by the suspects when they attempted to stop the vehicle. The vehicle was located abandoned a short distance away.
Deputies observed the two subjects who appeared to be fleeing from the vehicle run into a residence near the 2000 block of Luchetti SW. BCSO surrounded the residence and with assistance from BCSO SWAT, APD Bomb Unit and NMSP, two female suspects were located inside a trailer on the property. Neither of the suspects resided on the property and it’s believed they forced entry into the trailer in order to evade capture.
The deputy who was fired on was not injured. The two suspects taken into custody were identified as:
Lizeth Iguado: 33-years-old; currently on felony probation for a 2019 case – shooting at/from a motor vehicle and Aggravated Battery with Great Bodily Harm
Felicia Gonzales: 39-years-old
Both women are “local repeat offenders with many visits to the Metropolitan Detention Center,” Bernalillo County authorities emphasized.
Furthermore, BCSO commented on the “broken criminal justice system” that continues to allow these recurring crimes.
“It is incredibly disappointing that New Mexico has such a broken criminal justice system that these suspects lack fear of prosecution enough to shoot at our deputies,” they said.
Nevertheless, responding law enforcement personnel were lauded for taking the suspects into custody without injuries.
“We are proud of the hard work and diligence of the deputies and officers that continued to pursue these offenders and take them into custody without incident.”
