Suspect shot by deputies had multiple arrests, convictions
KOAT learned Monday the identity of the man investigators say kidnapped a couple, then used their car to slam a deputy into a pole Friday morning. The crime spree ended with deputies shooting and killing that suspect.
Multiple law enforcement officials said the man behind the wheel of the stolen car was 37-year-old Raymond Cruz. Online court records show Cruz has a criminal history dating back to 2002 with multiple convictions.
Court records show there was a warrant issued for his arrest in May for probation violation. His prior convictions also include aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, multiple cases of auto burglary, as well as breaking and entering.
In 2008, he was also charged with kidnapping and battery against household members, but those charges were dismissed.
Investigators say Friday morning, Cruz was trying to steal a golf cart from Isleta Pueblo. Police spotted him and asked BCSO for help after Cruz ran into an affluent neighborhood in the South Valley.
BCSO says 911 calls began coming in that someone was breaking into homes. BCSO heard glass breaking from a window of one of the houses.
They surrounded the home, then saw Cruz pulling out of the driveway in a car with two people inside. They say the two passengers in the car were screaming for help, banging on the car windows.
When deputies tried to stop the car, they say Cruz slammed into a deputy, pinning him against a pole. That’s when at least one other deputy opened fire, killing Cruz.
BCSO says the deputy who was slammed against the pole is out of a hospital after being treated for broken bones.
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