By Roger Lanse

On Sunday, May 9, 2021, at about 8:13 p.m., Silver City Police Department officers were dispatched to Fox Field in reference to a male, later identified as Roman Valenzuela, 44, of Silver City, challenging people to fight. When an officer made contact with Valenzuela on 31st and Swan streets, a SCPD incident report narrative stated that Valenzuela began to fast walk toward the officer with his fists balled up and speaking in an aggressive manner. As Valenzuela approached the officer, the narrative stated, Valenzuela’s cousin, Franky Vega, got in between the two preventing the officer from placing Valenzuela under arrest. 

A second officer arrived, according to the narrative, and tried grabbing Valenzuela, but he slapped the officer’s hands and tried to get away by running behind his cousin, Vega, and his brother Rudy Hernandez, 50, also of Silver City, who grabbed the officer’s hands and prevented the officer from getting to Valenzuela. The officer said in the narrative that Vega and Hernandez were getting in the way of the officers, grabbing them, and not allowing them to place Valenzuela under arrest. Because Valenzuela was not complying with any commands and because of the “disparity of force,” and because Valenzuela was actively resisting and battering the second officer, the first officer tased Valenzuela twice in the lower right abdomen with no effect. That officer told the second officer to tase him again because Valenzuela was walking away. Valenzuela seemed to be affected by this third tase, the narrative said, and the officers were able to place him under arrest.

As the officers were placing Valenzuela under arrest, Vega and Hernandez continued to stand over the officers in an aggressive manner and were shouting, the narrative stated, however, when the officers threatened to pepper-spray them they backed off.

Valenzuela was charged with resisting, evading, or obstructing a police officer; battery on a police officer; assault on a police officer; being a public nuisance; and disorderly conduct, and, according to the narrative, was transported to the Gila Regional Medical Center for a medical evaluation and to GCSO for booking. Grant County Detention Center staff told the Beat that Valenzuela was not taken to GCDC, but likely released when he was booked at GCSO.

Hernandez was charged with resisting, evading, or obstructing a police officer and released on a citation to appear. Vega was charged with battery on a police office, but no information regarding his disposition was available.