A high-speed pursuit and successful PIT maneuver on Friday resulted in the arrest of a man suspected of kidnapping and using a knife to threaten his girlfriend.
Jesus Gerardo Moreno Jr., 30, is charged with felony counts of kidnapping, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated fleeing from a law enforcement officer and a misdemeanor count of interference with communication. Moreno also faces four counts of violating terms of his probation.
Shortly after noon on Friday, July 31, 2026, Las Cruces police were dispatched to the report of woman who jumped from a moving vehicle and was picked up by a driver who witnessed the incident. Police learned the 28-year-old woman was in a relationship with Moreno.
The woman told investigators that, while in Moreno’s black Hyundai Sonata at a business near Lohman Avenue, he became upset with her and began using a folding knife to threaten her. When the woman tried to call for help, Moreno allegedly took her cell phone away and prevented her from leaving the vehicle.
Police believe Moreno then drove off with the woman in the vehicle where he slapped and punched her numerous times while threatening to stab her. About noon on Friday, the woman jumped from the moving vehicle near Sonoma Ranch Boulevard and east Lohman Avenue. The driver of a vehicle following the Hyundai picked up the victim and removed her from further danger.
Later Friday, police located Moreno as he drove on west Picacho Avenue. Officers attempted a traffic stop, but Moreno fled from police. He led police on a pursuit that reached speeds of 65 miles per hour and caused two traffic accidents along the way.
Police conducted a PIT – pursuit intervention technique – maneuver near the 2500 block of north Valley Drive and Moreno was taken into custody.
Moreno was booked into the Dona Ana County Detention Center where he is initially being held without bond.
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