Albuquerque police share information about Saturday shooting near Juan Tabo

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – What started as an art show near Juan Tabo and Constitution quickly spiraled into a chaotic scene filled with gunshots and ended with a multi-vehicle car crash.

“We’re fortunate nobody got killed in this whole incident,” said Public Information Officer for the Albuquerque Police Department (APD) Gilbert Gallegos.

APD claims gunshots were fired at a tire shop parking lot in northeast Albuquerque during an apparent drive-by shooting Saturday. Witnesses in the area claim two vehicles shot from their cars, hitting a food truck four times and a personal vehicle once.

“I think detectives have pretty good evidence on both sides that both individuals from both vehicles were shooting at each other,” Gallegos said. “Very recklessly, very dangerously.”

According to police, that shooting led to a six-vehicle car crash involving a marked Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) vehicle at Copper and Juan Tabo, caused by a silver GMC SUV.

The driver and passenger left the vehicle and ran to a nearby Olive Garden parking lot. While pursuing the pair, the deputy inside the BCSO vehicle claims he saw one of the men drop a firearm. The two men, later identified as Caleb Estrada and Elias Sandoval, were detained and law enforcement recovered numerous shell casings, live ammo, and a firearm in the parking lot. Police said another gun was found inside the GMC. Sandoval and Estrada claimed ownership of both weapons.

“Fortunately, officers were able to respond quickly,” Gallegos said.

Police said Estrada and Sandoval told them they were hanging out with two girls at an unknown apartment complex when a blue Chevrolet Camaro drove by and began shooting toward them. Documents stated that’s when the two got into the GMC, driving away and shooting at the Camaro, claiming “self-defense.” After finishing the interview with Estrada and Sandoval, police responded to a tire shop off Central and San Pedro to reports of a blue Camaro driving erratically.

That’s when police say they found four people, two men identified as Oliver Peralta and Antonio Acosta, who echoed a similar story as Estrada and Sandoval. They claimed they went to meet girls at an apartment complex, but they were already with two guys.

“Detectives are looking at involvement of the other individuals who were in the Camaro,” Gallegos explained.

According to documents, Peralta and Acosta explained the two women got into the Camaro, claiming the other two men got jealous and began shooting at them. Police say the girls were released, along with Acosta and Peralta, pending a possible arrest warrant.

“We got a lot of different stories and denials from everybody involved,” Gallegos added.

Both vehicles were sealed and are pending search warrants. Estrada and Sandoval were both booked into MDC and are facing charges of shooting from a moving vehicle and evading police.

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