eNewMexican

Police identify woman killed in November chase

Further details also released in high-speed pursuit, crash after S.F. Starbucks robbery

By Victoria Traxler vtraxler@sfnewmexican.com

New Mexico State Police have identified the woman killed during a high-speed pursuit and police shootout in late November that began in Santa Fe and ended on U.S. 285 south of Clines Corners.

The woman killed in the incident was 29-year-old Christy Dimas of Albuquerque,

state police said.

Dimas and Jacob Alejandro Montoya Jr., 26, were suspected of robbing a Starbucks in Santa Fe during the morning hours of Nov. 26. Later that day, the pair was involved in a chase that included three law enforcement agencies: state police, the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office and the Torrance County Sheriff’s Office.

A barista told Santa Fe police a man ordered something at the drive-thru around 8 a.m., according to police reports. When his vehicle pulled up to the window, the barista saw two people inside what she believed to be a black Kia without a license plate.

The man was wearing a “black hooded sweatshirt, black sunglasses, a black cap and had a bandana around his mouth” and a woman in the passenger seat also was wearing a bandana covering her face, the report said.

When the man arrived at the window, he immediately demanded all of the money the barista could grab.

She later told investigators she handed him the money from the cash register, estimated at about $500. Once she handed him the cash, he demanded more, but then sped off in his vehicle, the report said.

Santa Fe police issued a bulletin about the robbery, identifying the vehicle make and model to various agencies.

Later that day, at about 2:30 p.m., state police was alerted to a vehicle suspected in a robbery at another Starbucks in Santa Fe. Officers spotted a black Kia with no license plate traveling north on Cerrillos Road near Jaguar Drive. Santa Fe County deputies identified the car on Richards Avenue and began a pursuit that lasted more than 50 miles on U.S. 285.

Santa Fe County deputies were joined by state police and Torrance County sheriff’s deputies, who chased the vehicle to Clines Corners, according to a state police news release.

Santa Fe police Lt. David Webb said the investigation into the second Starbucks robbery is not being handled by his agency.

During the pursuit, the Kia’s passenger, identified as Dimas, began firing shots at officers from the vehicle before all three agencies returned fire.

The vehicle crashed into a tree 2 miles south of Clines Corners. Montoya was transported to a local hospital to be treated for his injuries while Dimas was pronounced dead at the scene.

Lt. Mark Soriano, a spokesman for state police, could not confirm whether Dimas succumbed to gunshot wounds or died due to the crash.

Court records show a Christine Dimas of the same age was convicted of receiving or transferring stolen vehicles in 2012.

Webb said Montoya has not been named as a suspect or charged in connection to the first Starbucks robbery. Further investigation is needed to confirm whether those in the vehicle also were involved in the shooting, he added.

As of Tuesday, Montoya was still in a hospital recovering, Webb said.

“We’re investigating the incident and following up on leads,” he said.

LOCAL & REGION

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2021-12-08T08:00:00.0000000Z

2021-12-08T08:00:00.0000000Z

https://enewmexican.com/article/281736977746096

Santa Fe New Mexican