Belen man arrested for crashing into wall near King Park

Manuel Gallegos, 22, of Belen, was arrested Jan. 8 after crashing a car into a wall in King Park in the Northern Meadows neighborhood.

Officers responding to the report of a BMW crashed into the wall noted substantial damage and “approximately 30 feet of damage.” The report stated that the brick wall was knocked down at its base.

One of the two men standing near the car, later identified as Gallegos, began to run away as officers approached. Despite officers demanding he stop or be tased, he jumped a fence and ran south on Mason Meadows Drive, eventually jumping a residential fence into an open field.

Officers, with the aid of Gallegos’ footprints in the snow, were able to establish a perimeter and found him lying down in a bush. He began to run again but stopped after multiple commands, saying, “You got me.”

However, Gallegos continued to struggle as he was being handcuffed, kicking one of the officers. He was walked to a police car, and as he walked, he was swaying and officers could smell alcohol on his breath. As Gallegos was seated in the police vehicle, he kicked another officer and the door. He also started to spit at the officers, so they put a spit mask on him.

Gallegos was charged with no driver’s license, evading police, DWI, leaving scene of an accident (property damage), criminal damage to property and two counts of battery upon a peace officer. He could face more than 15 years in prison as a maximum penalty if he is convicted.