Man shot by Farmington police on Glade Lane faces 11 criminal charges

• Humberto Vasquez, 46, is accused of nine felony charges.
• The criminal charges were filed against Vasquez on the morning of Jan. 22 in Farmington Magistrate Court.
• The defendant is in stable condition at San Juan Regional Medical Center as of Jan. 22, according to Farmington police Spokesperson Nicole Brown.

FARMINGTON — The Farmington man shot by police on Jan. 20 faces a total of 11 criminal charges for allegedly throwing a Molotov cocktail at officers and threatening to kill two people while armed with a handgun.  

Humberto Vasquez, 46, is accused of nine felony charges including five counts of aggravated assault on a peace officer, two counts of aggravated assault along with a count of aggravated battery on a peace officer and breaking and entering, according to the criminal complaint.

The criminal charges were filed against Vasquez on the morning of Jan. 22 in Farmington Magistrate Court.

Vasquez was shot in the morning of Jan. 20 in the 1000 block of Glade Lane by two Farmington Police Department officers, according to court documents.

They fired six rounds at Vasquez. Court documents did not identify how many rounds struck Vasquez.

The defendant is in stable condition at San Juan Regional Medical Center as of Jan. 22, according to Farmington police Spokesperson Nicole Brown.

The arrest warrant affidavit describes how police responded around 9:47 a.m. on reports of Vasquez attacking two people.

The man and woman told police Vasquez broke into their apartment and punched the woman in the face. The man said he tried to intervene when Vasquez pulled out a black handgun and told them he was going to kill them.

The man pulled out a knife to protect himself and Vasquez left the apartment. The defendant allegedly punched the woman a second time when she stepped outside the apartment.

Previous coverage:Police officers shoot suspect in West Farmington; suspect being treated at ER

As more officers arrived on scene, Vasquez was observed standing in the doorway of an apartment having a heated talk with family members, according to court documents.

The officers were told Vasquez has “mental health issues.” Multiple windows were shattered by Vasquez as he yelled out that he wouldn’t go to jail.

The affidavit states Vasquez threw the handgun out a window then proceeded to pour gasoline all over himself.

The defendant then allegedly threw a glass bottle that contained gasoline at the officers.

Vasquez is then accused of picking up a second bottle of gasoline with a rag stuffed inside, lighting it on fire and throwing it at the officers.

Two officers then fired upon Vasquez. One officer was covered in gasoline from one of the bottles thrown.

Joshua Kellogg covers breaking news for The Daily Times. He can be reached at 505-564-4627 or via email at jkellogg@daily-times.com.

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