A chase near downtown Gallup and into a nearby neighborhood led to several juveniles being pulled over and one getting charged.

Gallup Police were having a briefing near downtown early on Aug. 13 when Officer Julio Yazzie spotted a white Toyota RAV4 traveling south on Third Street at a high rate of speed with several people hanging out of the windows.

Yazzie got to his unit and followed the SUV onto Mesa Avenue and then Fourth Street, where he found the vehicle near the intersection of Morgan Avenue. He pulled over near the SUV and found several people inside. As Yazzie activated his unit’s emergency lights to conduct a traffic stop, the Toyota took off on Fourth Street.

Multiple officers then followed the SUV onto Fourth Street and Park Avenue. The vehicle ran several stop signs as it turned onto Elva Drive, where it ran into a dead end. One of the passengers in the vehicle got out and ran into the nearby hills. Officers were able to catch him and bring him back.

Yazzie saw all of the passengers in the vehicle were juveniles, so their full names were not listed in the report. The driver was also identified as a juvenile, and was called “J” by his mother as he called from the scene. Each passenger appeared intoxicated.

Since J was identified as the driver, he was given the Standard Field Sobriety Tests while the others were released to their parents. J performed poorly on the tests and stated he did not feel well. After the tests concluded, Yazzie transported J to Rehoboth McKinley Christian Hospital for medical clearance.

J was then transported to San Juan County Juvenile Detention Center, where he was booked for charges including aggravated DWI, resisting arrest, speeding, failure to stop, leaving the scene of an accident, careless driving, no license, and concealing his identity.