A man from Yahtahey was charged with aggravated assault after he threatened a couple with a knife.
On Sept. 20, around 1 pm, Gallup Police Officer Julio Yazzie was dispatched to the Busy Bee Laundromat at 2010 E. Hwy. 66 after being advised that a man, who was later identified as Christopher Nez, tried to take money from a couple by holding them at knifepoint.
When Yazzie met with the couple, they said they’d been sitting by the batting cages on Aztec Avenue when Nez, 36, approached them with a knife. The woman said Nez came up to them and began yelling, telling them to give him their money. Nez also reportedly began swinging the weapon at them. The woman estimated that the knife was about four or five inches long and came within an arm’s length of her, and the man said the weapon was close to his throat.
The man reportedly took off his belt to defend himself from Nez, and that’s when he took off.
The couple said they hadn’t given Nez any money. The woman said that she knew Nez’s street name was “Money.”
According to Yazzie’s report, GPD Officer Norman Bowman and Sgt. Benny Gaona were able to locate Nez while Yazzie was talking to the victims. Nez had a knife on him, and it was taken into evidence.
Nez was charged with two counts of aggravated assault (use of a deadly weapon). His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Oct. 18.
Staff Reports
