SAN JUAN COUNTY, N.M. (KRQE) — Law enforcement officials say they’ve dismantled a group behind a violent crime spree that swept across San Juan County and the Navajo Nation, involving dozens of young people. With juvenile crime a growing concern across New Mexico, Farmington’s police chief said the city had not previously faced a major issue — until now.
The San Juan County Sheriff says about ten people have been identified as key players in the crime spree, with around twenty others named as connected.
“We do feel that this group is isolated, and this is not something that we should be concerned about at this point because we have identified and we’ve stopped their actions. They’re perfectly clear and understand that the long arm of the law is after them at this point,” said Sheriff Shane Ferrari.
According to Ferrari, one incident involved a victim being stripped down and thrown into the trunk of a car. Others involved luring victims to remote locations, getting them intoxicated, and brutally beating them. In one case, a gun was forced into a victim’s mouth.
Other reported crimes include shootings and carjackings involving firearms.
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So far, the FBI has made one arrest tied to a shooting on the Navajo Nation. Farmington police have arrested three juveniles, while the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office has arrested one juvenile and currently has about ten arrest warrants pending. None of the suspects are being identified because they are minors.
Sheriff Ferrari said that while the number of juvenile crimes hasn’t drastically increased, the level of violence has grown in deeply troubling ways. He also warned that parents may be held civilly liable for their children’s actions.
“One of the most disturbing things we have found as we investigate these cases is we have half the parents that actually have true concern about crimes that their children may be involved in, and the other half…They are completely neutral that they don’t feel one way or the other, it’s just another day of their children getting in trouble at home, getting in trouble at school, and us dealing with them,” he said.
In a separate but related incident, Farmington police also arrested two 22-year-olds who lived in a home where a large fight broke out last month. That fight ended with two minors being shot, and one seriously injured.
Sheriff Ferrari says they were able to stop the core group behind the crime spree, in part due to people who stepped forward to identify those involved.
