In the dusky expanse of a New Mexico casino lot, a lowly showdown echoed the classic conflict between proprietor and outlaw. The stakes were raised when the echo of two gunfire shots shattered the calm at Sandia Resort & Casino. The shooter was none other than Nicolas Roach, a disgruntled convict who ironically found himself at the banking end of a casino department’s retaliatory fire.
Roach, 35, faced a rapid barrage that left him wounded in the back, jaw, and right arm on that fateful April 30 standoff. Mired in critical injuries, he received hospital treatment for ten grueling days before being confined to the dreary walls of a local jail.
In the half-lit, adrenaline-fueled crossfire, not a single one of the four tenacious Albuquerque Police Department officers was injured, initial reports revealed with an air of relief.
Days prior to this climactic encounter, an atmosphere of trepidation clung to the department as officers ardently searched for Roach. Their vigilance was rewarded when a suspicious vehicle skulked into sight. A quick license plate verification confirmed their suspicion – the vehicle posed in the headlights of their patrol car was reported stolen.
An Albuquerque Police Department video, faded with time, showed Roach driving a sleek Hyundai near the casino. Feeling the tightening noose of their pursuit, Roach, with an air of desperation, plowed into the casino lot. He made a frenzied dash into his GMC vehicle, strengthened his resolve, and obstinately attempted to escape. A clever officer had other plans; he used a grappler to disable the vehicle’s tire, spurring the impromptu, violent choreography of gunfire exchange.
Police were aware of Roach’s outstanding warrants, as well as the geographical boundaries of his usual haunts, detailed APD Commander Kyle Hartsock in an interview with local station KOAT. Hartsock admitted that detectives had spent days on a specific operation plan before the shootout, clocking in unorthodox hours in hopes of capturing Roach.
A potential heartbreaker, Roach was also a wanted car thief, and under the shaded pretense of a probation violation he passed unnoticed. Surprisingly, he didn’t act alone. Two women were found in his SUV, and they dutifully surrendered. Amanda Hand, 34, faced charges for auto theft while the second accomplice’s name was undisclosed.
An inspection of the SUV following the incident revealed a stolen .45-caliber weapon that Roach used in the shootout. The police didn’t stop there; they found conjectured methamphetamine and shady tools associated with car theft.
Roach currently faces forthcoming charges and possible prosecution in local court. If convicted, he could be sentenced to a long-term incarceration. The news doesn’t surprise those familiar with his past, as he is no stranger to prison life, the Albuquerque Journal informed.
Meanwhile, the Pueblo of Sandia, the tribal proprietors of the Sandia Resort & Casino based in Albuquerque, may be readying their dice for another roll.
In a retrospective stance, APD Chief Harold Medina implored for stronger penalties for car theft in light of the incident, signaling a call for extensive legislative support to deal with increasingly aggressive criminals.
