By Roger Lanse

On Monday, Oct. 4, 2021, at 5:38 p.m., Silver City Police Department officers were dispatched to the Motel 6, 1040 E. Highway 180, in reference to a robbery. According to an SCPD incident report, officers were told a male, armed with a boxcutter, later identified as Aaron Duran, 34, of Santa Clara, had just attempted to commit a robbery at the motel and left on a bicycle south on Durango Street. Officers made contact with Duran on his bike traveling west on Canal Street. When Duran refused to get off his bicycle, the report said, one of the officers pushed Duran causing him to fall to the ground and an orange boxcutter fell from his person. Officers handcuffed Duran and placed him in a police unit.

Back at Motel 6, three witnesses, employees of the motel, stated that Duran entered the motel's office asking for his old job back, but was told since he had been fired for stealing money he couldn't even be in the office. The witnesses said at that point Duran attempted to grab money from the cash drawer but was prevented from doing so by two of the witnesses, a female and a male, wrapping their arms around Duran and pulling him away from the cash drawer while the third witness called the Grant County Regional Dispatch Authority.

One of the witnesses who had his arms around Duran, the male, suffered a laceration. According to the report, he thought at first it was Duran biting him, but then realized that Duran had cut him. The male witness refused medical transport.

Duran was placed under arrest and has been charged with robbery, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and resisting, evading, and/or obstructing an officer. He was taken to the Gila Regional Medical Center for medical assessment, then to SCPD for paperwork, and booked into the Grant County Detention Center.

According to GCDC staff, Judge Laney ordered Duran released the next day, Tuesday, Oct. 5, on an unsecured bond.