Police charged 17-year-old in carjacking that led to police pursuit

Apr. 23—A 17-year-old boy is accused of carjacking a vehicle and leading officers on a chase that ended with a crash that injured a bystander Monday in Southeast Albuquerque.

Dominic Sena is charged with robbery with a deadly weapon, aggravated fleeing an officer and unlawful possession of a handgun in the incident.

Sena's attorney could not be reached Tuesday.

Gilbert Gallegos, an Albuquerque Police Department spokesman, said during the chase, an unsuccessful pursuit intervention technique, or PIT maneuver — striking a vehicle to try to stop it — resulted in an officer crashing into a light pole and fence.

Gallegos said a man who was behind the fence was struck "possibly by the fence or debris from the (officer's) vehicle" and was hospitalized with a broken jaw and ribs.

"He is expected to make a full recovery," Gallegos said.

According to a statement of probable cause filed in 2nd Judicial District Children's Court:

Police responded around 1:50 p.m. to reports of a carjacking in the 8100 block of San Joaquin SE, near Pennsylvania and Southern. Two women told police a young man tried to steal their vehicle at gunpoint, telling them, "Give me your whip."

Police said the suspect — later identified as Sena — was not able to operate the woman's vehicle and stole a different woman's vehicle at gunpoint. Officers found the stolen vehicle a few blocks away "minutes after the carjacking occurred."

Officers tried to pull over the vehicle, but Sena sped off, "driving recklessly," and Gallegos said a sergeant authorized a pursuit. He said the sergeant then authorized a PIT maneuver, which sent an officer's vehicle onto the sidewalk and through a fence.

"A transient male who was behind the fence was struck, possibly by the fence or debris from the vehicle going through the fence," Gallegos said.

But Sena was able to keep driving the stolen vehicle, according to police, until another officer did a PIT maneuver on San Mateo, just south of Indian School. Sena was arrested, and a gun magazine was found in his pocket and a handgun in the vehicle he stole.

Sena told police he had been drinking and did not remember "much of what happened." Sena told police he stole a Kia "with a screwdriver" hours earlier and refused to talk about the gun.