Gallup dispute ends in collision, injuries and arrest of Ramah woman

A late-night argument in Gallup quickly spilled into the street, then into a collision that left one woman injured and a Ramah woman in custody. Police said the confrontation began around 3:20 a.m. May 24 in the 600 block of South Second Street, where officers were called after a report that someone in a silver Jeep was trying to attack a person and flee.

Gallup Police Officer Maurie Rangel responded to the scene after Sgt. Terrence Peyketewa advised that two people were trying to leave through an alleyway toward Third Street. Rangel detained Leola Garcia, 42, of Ramah, and noted that she had facial injuries, blood on her face and appeared highly intoxicated. By the time she was taken back to the scene, the dispute had already turned into a crash investigation.

A woman who made the call told police she had walked outside her home and found Garcia and a man arguing. She said Garcia told her they were looking for the caller’s mother. When the pair were denied access to the house, the argument turned physical. After they were separated, the woman said Garcia and the man drove away in the silver Jeep, then returned and struck the mother’s vehicle. The caller suffered minor injuries while trying to stop them.

Garcia gave a different account. She reportedly told police the caller had been following them in another vehicle and had nearly hit her before the confrontation. Garcia also said the argument resumed when the group returned to the residence and that she was attacked, though she did not explain how the crash occurred. Because of her injuries, she could not complete field sobriety tests.

The man who had been with Garcia told investigators she had been driving during the incident. Police arrested him on an active Gallup Magistrate Court warrant. Garcia was later taken to a local hospital for a blood draw and then booked into the McKinley County Adult Detention Center on charges of conspiracy to commit homicide by vehicle, reckless driving and failure to notify accidents. Her preliminary examination was set for July 1.

The case shows how fast an overnight domestic dispute can become a public-safety and traffic incident in Gallup, especially when intoxication, injuries and conflicting stories complicate the first police response. New Mexico law defines homicide by vehicle as the killing of a human being in the unlawful operation of a motor vehicle, and lawmakers in Santa Fe have considered tougher penalties when reckless driving is involved. In a city where officers often face late-night calls that mix disorder, warrants and driving complaints, the South Second Street case is a reminder of how much can go wrong before dawn.