LEA COUNTY, N.M. — The Lea County Drug Task Force said shots were fired and about 12,000 “suspected fentanyl pills” were found after a chase on Thursday.
LCDTF said agents tried to pull over a vehicle occupied by Robert Ortiz and Amber Dawn Rogers-Johnson around 1:30 a.m. and they headed towards the Texas state line on US 380. According to a press release, authorities called off the chase due to safety concerns. Deputies from the Yoakum County Sheriff’s Office saw the vehicle near State Line Road and chased it back into Gaines County.
Once in Gaines County, LCDTF said the passenger held a pistol out the window and fired “numerous” rounds at deputies. The press release stated, “Fortunately, none of the deputies were injured.”
The vehicle went back towards New Mexico and ended up crashing in Hobbs near Broadway Street and Coleman Street. Once the sun came out, YCSO deputies went to trace the path of the chase and found a black backpack and two pistols.
“Approximately 12,000 suspect fentanyl pills and approximately two pounds of suspected methamphetamine were seized from the backpack,” LCDTF said.
Ortiz and Rogers-Johnson had outstanding warrants for drug crimes, authorities said. They were booked into the Lea County Detention Center with more charges pending from both New Mexico and Texas.
LCDTF thanked the agencies who helped catch the “dangerous suspects.”
Anyone with information about drug trafficking was asked to call LCDTF at (575)-393-2835.
