Woman arrested by APD after long stolen car chase
Other unidentified suspect was not apprehended
Other unidentified suspect was not apprehended
Other unidentified suspect was not apprehended
The story had just begun when plain-clothes Albuquerque Police Detective Pablo Hernandez identified a stolen vehicle on Montgomery Boulevard NE around 3 p.m. Saturday.
Hours later, after an extensive pursuit and search, punctuated twice by gunfire from one suspect, APD arrested 28-year-old Myranda Salayandia, who was charged with receiving and transporting a stolen vehicle, and aggravated fleeing a law enforcement officer.
When the stolen gray Nissan was first seen, it was being driven by a man with a light complexion and tattoos on his face, according to the criminal complaint. A woman was in the front passenger seat, and two other people were in the back seat. More APD detectives got involved and covert surveillance of the car at numerous locations around the city went on for about five hours.
During that time, police were able to photograph the man and woman in the front seat, and saw one of the other passengers being dropped off on Central Avenue NE. The car was then seen pulling into the backyard of a Girard Street SE address, where the driver was seen opening the door to a pickup truck, also identified as stolen. The driver fired a gun into the air, then drove the car east on Coal Avenue SE.
It was next observed parked at a drive-in restaurant on Central Avenue, where the woman took over driving, with the man in the passenger seat and the police in pursuit. The man again fired the gun, and the other passenger fled the vehicle and was detained by APD officers. The woman was seen abandoning the car at Georgia Street NE, and she and the man ran through an alleyway and headed west.
The woman, identified as Myranda Salayandia, was caught; the man was not.
After being advised of her rights, Salayandia admitted being in the vehicle when shots were fired and driving it after the stop on Central Avenue. She did not identify the male suspect, who she said she had met just a few days earlier.
According to the complaint written by APD Detective Hernandez, Salayandia "knew or should have known the vehicle was stolen or unlawfully taken given the circumstances," which he said indicated there was probable cause to bring charges against her.