The fear of getting deported back to Mexico is what led to a high-speed chase on the south end of town on Tuesday afternoon, May 31.
According to a Nye County Sheriff’s Office arrest report, the pursuit began at roughly 2:31 p.m. when Deputy John Tolle, who was in a marked patrol vehicle in the area of Kellogg and Homestead roads, observed a pickup truck speeding on Kellogg Road toward Homestead Road.
“I estimated the vehicle speed at 70 mph in a posted 45 mph zone,” Tolle’s report stated. “After activating my radar, I confirmed the vehicle speed at 71 mph. I attempted to conduct a traffic stop on the vehicle. The driver, who was later identified as Leonardo Ruiz-Gallegos, failed to stop at signal by a police officer. While driving on Homestead, Leonardo passed a vehicle on the right, in the county easement, in an aggressive and reckless manner.”
Tolle’s report also stated that Ruiz-Gallegos attempted to make a left turn onto Thousandaire Boulevard but he lost control during the turn and crashed into the landscaping on the corner.
“As I stopped behind Leonardo, I exited my vehicle to issue verbal commands,” according to the report. “Leonardo backed his vehicle up, ramming my patrol vehicle and forcing me to quickly move out of the way to prevent getting hit. Leonardo had room to navigate his vehicle out of the landscaping and flee, but instead rammed my vehicle.”
The report went on to state that Ruiz-Gallegos continued to evade tjhe deputy while traveling at speeds of 70 mph down Thousandaire, running stop signs and passing other vehicles on the roadway.
For a brief time, Tolle lost sight of Ruiz-Gallegos in the desert, but another deputy located him and attempted to stop him again, the report said.
“Leonardo fled, driving in a manner placing the public in potential danger,” according to Tolle. “Leonardo ran through four stop signs at speeds up to 80 mph in residential areas. At one time, Leonardo attempted to negotiate a left-hand turn, crashing into a low-built retaining wall. Leonardo caused damage and fled the scene of an accident. Leonardo continued to drive even with no front rubber tire and only on the rim.”
After an approximate 20-minute pursuit, Ruiz-Gallegos slowed down to the point where deputies were able to box his vehicle in.
Still, Ruiz-Gallegos backed into Tolle’s vehicle in another attempt to evade, the report stated.
“While several deputies approached Leonardo’s vehicle, he refused to exit and held on to the steering wheel, until being forced out and onto the ground, where he was taken into custody,” the report stated.
While searching the vehicle, deputies located two handguns, a white powdery substance presumed to be cocaine, and a green leafy substance inside of a cannabis jar.
“One of the handguns was a non-serialized presumptively home-built Glock-26 with what appeared to be a full automatic switch installed, making it possible to be fully automatic,” according to the report. “Leonardo made a statement that he fled because he did not want to get deported back to Mexico. Leonardo stated the risk of running was worth it. Based on our investigation, Leonardo was allowed into the country legally, but fled in an attempt to evade law enforcement and is temporarily in the United States. It’s reasonable to believe Leonardo would not appear in court on a traffic citation and was booked in on traffic offenses.”
As a result of his alleged actions, Ruiz-Gallegos is facing numerous charges including failure to yield, resisting a public officer, speeding, possession of a controlled substance and battery with a deadly weapon, among numerous other charges.
Bail amount was set at $48,760.
Contact reporter Selwyn Harris at sharris@pvtimes.com. On Twitter: @pvtimes