A man tried to give officers a fake name multiple times when he was caught stealing a motorbike. At one point he even claimed he was only 14 years old.
On May 24, around 3:30 pm, Gallup Police Officer Cindy Romancito was dispatched to Chaa ‘Ahh! milk tea café at 107 W. Hwy. 66 when a caller reported a stolen bike.
When she arrived at the bubble tea shop, Romancito met with the victim, who said his gray mountain bike was stolen. He estimated that the bike was worth about $3,500.
The victim said he and his friend were in the shop drinking tea when they noticed three people approach the shop. One man, who was identified as Devon Descheenie, 20, started to threaten them. He then reportedly pulled a knife out of his pocket.
The victim and his friend said they backed off after that, and Descheenie took off on the bike, heading south on Third Street.
While Romancito was with the victim, he received a call from a woman who said she saw the bike near the Romancito Motel at 1009 W. Coal Ave. According to Romancito’s report, the bike had been abandoned and someone was trying to load it up.
GPD Officers Jarad Albert and Aaron Marquez arrived at the motel shortly after the call and chased down a man who matched Descheenie’s physical description. They were also able to recover the bike.
When the officers patted Descheeni down for weapons, they found the knife he threatened the two men with in his pocket. They drove Descheeni back to the bubble tea shop so the victim could identify him.
After the victim positively identified the man as the one who stole his bike, Albert told Romancito that the man they had in custody was refusing to tell the officers his name. When Romancito talked to him, the man said his name was Lucky Yazzie and that his birthdate was May 10, 2012. When Romancito told him to tell her the truth, the man gave a birthdate that would make him only 14 years old.
According to Romancito’s report, the man was “acting erratic, sweating, and talking loud ….”
The man reportedly had a cut on his chin, and when MedStar checked him out he was given another chance to give his real name. The man was restrained, as per policy, and was about to be driven to the hospital for a medical clearance when he started crying and said his name was Devon Descheenie. When Romancito ran that name through Metro Dispatch, a warrant for his arrest came back.
Descheenie was charged with armed robbery, resisting arrest, and concealing identity, along with his previous warrant. His first court appearance was on May 26.
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