Two juveniles arrested in Gallup after attempted vehicle theft, shots fired

An attempted armed robbery and vehicle theft at an apartment complex on East Maloney Avenue in Gallup ended with two juvenile males arrested after three shots were fired, Gallup Police said. The incident occurred just before 8 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 16, and investigators recovered a semiautomatic firearm from the area of the attempted robbery.

Gallup Police say the victim picked up the teens earlier in the evening because he was concerned they were juveniles. The teens told the driver they had family at the Sun Valley Apartments, and the vehicle was taken toward that area before the suspects allegedly brandished a firearm to demand the vehicle and money. “The males attempted to steal a vehicle on East Maloney Avenue, which led to three shots being fired just before 8 p.m. Monday, Feb. 16,” police reported.

After the shots were fired, the victim escaped and sought help from neighbors, knocking on doors near North Cliff until police arrived. “The victim was able to escape and knock on doors in the area to request police, according to the Gallup Police Department,” the department said as detectives moved into the neighborhood to speak with witnesses and collect evidence at the scene.

Detectives processed the scene on East Maloney Avenue and interviewed witnesses; a semiautomatic firearm was taken into police custody during the evidence collection process. “A semiautomatic firearm was recovered from the area of the attempted robbery,” Gallup Police said as officers continued their on-scene investigation into who fired the shots and how the weapon entered the incident.

The two juveniles were later arrested and placed into the juvenile justice system. “The two juveniles were charged and booked at the San Juan County Juvenile Detention Center,” Gallup Police stated. The department’s initial reporting did not include ages, names, or a list of specific charges in the public summary, and detectives are handling witness interviews and evidence collection as part of the ongoing inquiry.

The arrest and booking of juveniles into detention raises immediate questions about how young people in McKinley County access prevention and treatment services after violent incidents. The involvement of a semiautomatic firearm in an attempted theft at an apartment complex on East Maloney Avenue underscores public safety concerns for residents around Sun Valley Apartments and the North Cliff area, and it places pressure on local juvenile services and law enforcement to coordinate responses for youth-involved violence.

Gallup Police continue investigating the case; detectives are collecting evidence and speaking to witnesses from the East Maloney Avenue scene as they work to determine who fired the three shots and what charges will be filed in court.