Traffic Stop Leads to Manhunt and Arrest in Mountainair
On Friday, September 13, 2024, Torrance County Emergency Management released a statement on social media advising the public to be on the lookout for a shirtless male. On Saturday, the Torrance County Sheriff's Office arrested that individual in Mountainair.
Undersheriff Stephanie Reynolds provided additional information via email regarding the alert and the arrest on Friday and Saturday. Reynolds identified the individual being sought as Larz Zamora. Reynolds said Zamora had an active warrant for a probation violation related to a vehicle theft and two active warrants for aggravated fleeing a law enforcement officer. Aggravated fleeing is a criminal violation that occurs when" a person willfully and carelessly driving a vehicle in a manner that endangers the life of another person after being given a visual or audible signal to stop…."
A review of judicial records shows Zamora has multiple criminal cases across the state of New Mexico, with the most recent being in October 2023 when Albuquerque District Court Judge Emeterio Rudolfo issued a bench warrant against Zamora for non-compliance with the terms of his pretrial release pending a case against Zamora for receiving or transferring a stolen motor vehicle. The earliest case against Zamora is a 2013 Moriarty case in which he pled guilty to driving while intoxicated, reckless driving, and resisting arrest. After this case, a warrant was issued for Zamora's arrest when he failed a drug test that was part of the terms of Zamora's probation. In 2017, Zamora was charged with unlawful taking of a motor vehicle (second offense), driving while intoxicated (second offense), and possession of drug paraphernalia. In 2018, Zamora pled guilty in Alamogordo District Court to unlawful taking of a motor vehicle, driving while under the influence, and possession of drug paraphernalia. In this case, Zamora violated the terms of his probation and was incarcerated. Past criminal violations are not dispositive indicators of guilt in current or future criminal matters.
Reynolds explained that Zamora had been subject to a traffic stop on Friday when he fled on foot near Camino de Aragon in Abó. Zamora had been driving with a passenger named Angel Tohannie when he fled on foot. The unidentified officer involved in the traffic stop arrested Tohannie at the time of the stop based on a warrant from Bernalillo County for failure to comply with the conditions of her release for possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia, based on the information provided by Reynolds.
Undersheriff Reynolds reported that Zamora was located and arrested on Saturday. Mountainair residents confirmed they witnessed the arrest in the town's Loma Parda neighborhood. Reynolds cautioned that the information she provided regarding the arrest was preliminary and, therefore, subject to change or correction.
In her email updating the alert made via social media on Friday, Undersheriff Reynolds stated that she wanted to encourage residents to lock their vehicles and homes and urged the public to contact the Torrance County Sheriff's Office if they witnessed suspicious activity by calling 911 or by calling the non-emergency line for Torrance County Dispatch Center at 505–384-2705.