Police dog, suspect injured in chase

CLOVIS — An early morning police chase Thursday resulted in the arrest of a 25-year-old man charged with assaulting an officer and injuring a police dog.

Court records show the chase began about 2 a.m. and lasted over an hour, ending after Efrain Moreno crashed his white Tahoe near the Texico port of entry on U.S. 60/84.

Moreno was treated for a dog bite and other unspecified injuries at Plains Regional Medical Center in Clovis. A police dog suffered “road rash” and received stitches, records show.

He was booked into the Curry County Adult Detention Center Friday afternoon. He is charged with aggravated fleeing a law enforcement officer, injury to a police dog, police horse or fire dog and three counts of aggravated battery upon a peace officer.

No lawyer is currently listed for Moreno in court records.

Records show the incident began when the Tahoe was observed traveling at a high rate of speed through the intersection of 14th and Main in Clovis without stopping at the red light. Police attempted to stop the driver, but he fled.

Police said the driver pointed a red laser at them and appeared to have a firearm, later identified as a pellet gun.

At one point during the pursuit, the driver of the Tahoe “stops his vehicle and opens the driver’s side door exposing his leg,” the police report shows. Officers approached the driver and told him to exit the vehicle; when he failed to do so, the police dog, Castor, was given the command “to apprehend the subject and bit him on the leg,” the report shows.

The driver, an officer and the dog engaged in a struggle before the driver was able to pull away. The officer “was able to get out of the way of the vehicle but K9 Castor was still halfway inside of the vehicle (and) eventually fell out,” the report reads.

The pursuit continued into Parmer County in Texas before the Tahoe returned to New Mexico and crashed, rolling after striking "an advertisement sign in an open field," the police news release read.

Clovis police, Curry County Sheriff’s Department and Parmer County Sheriff’s Department were all involved in the pursuit, but the only injuries reported were to Moreno and the dog. The suspect also rammed a Curry County Sheriff's Department vehicle during the pursuit, police said.

Police recovered a laser and plastic pellet gun, records show.