A man was recently hit in the chest with a rock while hanging out outside of Sports World. The man who threw the rock is now facing charges.
On May 27, around 4:30 pm, Metro Dispatch received multiple calls about people throwing rocks at the Sports Page Lounge (1400 S. Second St.).
When Gallup Police Officer Jarad Albert responded to the scene, he saw several people standing and sitting against a wall on the south side of the bar. When he parked his patrol vehicle, he met with a victim who said two people had thrown rocks at him. One of those people was later identified as Devin Willie, 39.
The victim said one of the rocks hit him in the chest, and he said Willie was the one who threw that one. Albert grabbed Willie and put him in the back of his patrol vehicle.
The victim explained that he’d come to the area to buy some cigarettes. He walked to the front of Sports World, located on the south side of Sports Page. That’s also where the group of people had been sitting.
The man said he wanted to rest because he was tired due to an old leg injury. As he sat down, an employee from a nearby store came out and told him not to wait there because the people standing around “run the spot” and she was scared of them. The victim said he wasn’t scared and stood in front of Sports World anyways.
That’s when the group approached him and told him to leave. The man refused, and that’s when Willie reportedly threw the rock at him. After the rock hit him, the victim began to walk off, but then another man hit him with another rock. However, he was able to deflect the rock with his hand.
According to Marquez’s report, the victim showed him the rock Willie allegedly hit him with. The victim reportedly had visible redness and some swelling on his chest. The victim said he was having trouble breathing, He was evaluated at the scene by Medstar.
When Marquez placed Willie in handcuffs, he found a paper inside his left sock. Inside the paper was some white crystal-like substance, which ended up being about 0.2 grams of meth.
Willie was charged with aggravated battery and possession of a controlled substance. His public safety assessment was conducted May 28. He was ordered to report to pretrial services on May 30. As of press time, no pretrial date has been set.
Staff Reports
