Third Judicial District Court judge Richard Jacquez sentenced Bobby Charles Crawford to 54 years in prison for attempted murder and other charges in a police altercation.
A Las Cruces jury found Bobby Charles Crawford, 47, guilty in Doña Ana County District Court in February. Crawford, from Alamogordo, led officers in a pursuit through Las Cruces' East Mesa featuring an exchange of gunfire with police in June 2023.
Crawford was convicted of two counts of attempted first-degree murder, two counts of aggravated assault on a peace officer, aggravated fleeing a law enforcement officer, and shooting at or from a motor vehicle.
On June 21, 2023, a New Mexico State Police officer began following a white Chevrolet Suburban suspected of belonging to Crawford. At the time, an arrest warrant for Crawford was active. A Las Cruces police unit responded to the area to assist. Crawford fled, engaging the officers in a chase through residential neighborhoods.
In effort to stop Crawford, a Las Cruces police officer placed his vehicle in front of Crawford's vehicle. Passing around the officer’s patrol unit, Crawford fired at the police vehicle and other law enforcement vehicles as they began to surround him. Officers returned fire. Crawford barricaded himself inside of the SUV and eventually surrendered to the officers.
“Crawford has a long history of criminal conduct," District Attorney Gerald Byers said in a press release announcing the sentence. "Those police officers involved, dedicated their lives to keep the public safe from a dangerous criminal. The jury verdict demonstrated that Doña Ana County juries will assign accountability for proven criminal behavior. The sentencing reflects that this dangerous convict will not pose a future threat to the public or public servants.”
Jason Groves can be reached at 575-541-5459 or jgroves@lcsun-news.com. Follow him on X @jpgroves.
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