ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE/KXRM) – A man accused of abducting a 2-year-old girl in Albuquerque has been caught after a chase that ended in a rollover crash in Colorado.
According to New Mexico state police, 19-year-old Ramiro Tirado took 2-year-old Denise Tirado Monday night in Albuquerque. State police issued an Amber Alert for Denise after the abduction.
Amber Alert issued
The incident began around 9 p.m. Monday, when Albuquerque police received a 911 call saying, “send police.”
Police said the caller told dispatch that her daughter was in trouble and that she had heard a disturbance in the background. When police arrived on scene, no one was home. Police said the caller arrived a short time later and told police that her daughter had a fight with her boyfriend, Ramiro, and that Ramiro had pointed a gun at her, threatening to kill her.
Police later located the victim and learned that Ramiro had taken the couple’s 2-year-old daughter, Denise. An Amber Alert was issued for the girl at 3:00 a.m. Tuesday.
Chase leads to crash
Tuesday morning, a witness in Raton, New Mexico, spotted a vehicle matching the description of the vehicle mentioned in the Amber Alert, a Cadillac Escalade SUV. The witness confirmed the license plate number and called police. Around 6:52 a.m., the Colorado State Patrol was informed the SUV was headed northbound from New Mexico.
A trooper who was set up just north of the state line spotted the SUV and tried to pull it over. This happened on northbound Interstate 25 near mile marker 16 at 7:08 a.m. The driver refused to pull over, and sped away at about 100 miles per hour. Troopers deployed stop sticks near mile marker 41, which is between Aguilar and Walsenburg. The SUV hit the stop sticks and continued traveling for about 1.5 miles before the driver lost control. The SUV went into the center median, across the southbound lanes, and onto a frontage road, where it rolled. The driver and passenger were both ejected.
The driver was identified as Ramiro. He was taken to Parkview Hospital in Pueblo with moderate injuries. Albuquerque police said he is facing charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and kidnapping. They’re working to get him extradited back to New Mexico.
The passenger was identified as 2-year-old Denise. She was taken by helicopter to Children’s Hospital in Aurora with moderate injuries, according to the Colorado State Patrol.