Tuesday’s Top Stories

Tuesday’s Five Facts

[1] VIDEO: Black SUV nearly hits group with anti-Trump signs in Nob Hill – New video shows the moment an Albuquerque driver rams into a man with an anti-Trump sign in Nob Hill. Police say two men were sitting in the bed of a truck holding an anti-Trump sign when a black car pulled up and began arguing with them. During that interaction one of the men in truck sprays mace. The black car drives away, then later comes back and can be seen driving into the truck. One of the men in the truck is seen pulling a gun and aiming it at the black car before the black vehicle drives away. APD says they are looking for the black vehicle.

[2] Ex-security guard accused of attacking homeless man, shooting dog – Martin Sandoval is accused of assaulting a homeless man and killing his dog. Sandoval was arrested on June 15 after police say he punched a homeless man near Coors and Old Airport, while falsely claiming to work as a security guard at a nearby business. According to a criminal complaint, Sandoval also shot and killed the man’s dog. Sandoval recently pleaded guilty to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in a separate case after beating a homeless man with a baton last October. At the time, Sandoval was working as a security guard at a Walgreens. Sandoval is facing charges of violating probation, battery and extreme cruelty to animals.

[3] Rain likely after the heat-up – Monsoonal moisture inbound will start to dampen high temperatures ahead, but from many areas today around Albuquerque and to the southeast, it will still not only be hot, but most likely, still rain-free. The flash flooding risk will be generally higher today in the burn scars surrounding Santa Fe with an even more widespread chance later this week. Some large hail in the northeastern plains are more likely later on, in addition to frequent lightning and strong winds as a backdoor cold front starts to move through late today.

[4] AFR adding NE Heights paramedic unit – Albuquerque Fire Rescue is trying out a new paramedic unit that will respond to lower-risk emergency calls. Medic 9 is a paramedic unit that will be housed at Station 9, near Eubank and Menaul. The unit will respond to calls across the northeast heights. AFR says Medic 9 will cover calls related to substance abuse and mental health. The department will review the unit’s impact in August to determine if they will make it a permanent unit.

[5] Mural production begins at Bernalillo County headquarters – A new mural “Windfall” is coming to Bernalillo County’s Alvarado Square. Created by the artist Ivan Toth Depeña, the mural depicts Albuquerque skies, the Rio Grande, Bosque and Sandia mountains. The project has a $200,000 budget and is funded through the county’s art in public places ordinance. The mural is about 30% complete and is scheduled to finished by the end of July.

SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) – The City of Santa Fe says it stands firmly against the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling allowing law enforcement to arrest homeless people for sleeping in public places. Santa Fe Mayor Alan Webber says the SCOTUS decision from two weeks ago not only fails to address the root causes of homelessness but “perpetuates a cycle of instability and marginalization for some of our most vulnerable citizens.”

Mayor Webber says the primary reason people are without homes is the lack of affordable housing. He says Santa Fe will remain a strong advocate for the rights of unhoused people.