Staff Reports
A Mentmore man is facing multiple felony and misdemeanor charges after Gallup Police stated he stabbed another man during an altercation outside a local restaurant before fleeing from officers and hiding in a tree.
Gallup Police Officer Jordan Gemme was dispatched to California Chinese Fast Food, 1020 W. Maloney Ave., around 10 am on July 22 after receiving reports that several men were chasing another man toward Interstate 40 and that one of them was armed with a baseball bat.
When Gemme arrived at the scene, he found the man holding a baseball bat and ordered him to drop it. The man complied without incident. Witnesses told police the man they had been chasing, identified as Nelbert Billy, 26, had cut the armed man with a knife.
Gemme reportedly saw a puncture wound on the victim’s left forearm. However, he declined medical treatment and told officers the confrontation began as a verbal argument before turning physical. He allegedly said Billy had pulled out a knife, and while he attempted to disarm Billy, the blade punctured his forearm. The victim said Billy then fled on foot toward the Munoz Overpass.
Officers Gemme and Eric Mangum soon located Billy underneath the Interstate 40 bridge. They attempted to detain him, but Billy fled again, leading the officers on a foot chase through an open field west of the overpass.
During the chase, Metro Dispatch advised the officers that Billy had three outstanding warrants, including two felony warrants. After searching the area for nearly an hour, the officers located Billy hiding in the branches of a tree. He eventually complied with their commands to come down and was taken into custody.
Billy reportedly admitted he had put a black shirt over his blue shirt to avoid being recognized by police and said he fled from the officers because he knew he had active warrants.
After being detained and read his Miranda Rights, Billy gave the officers his account of the incident. He claimed the victim nearly struck him with a vehicle before confronting him. Billy allegedly said several men then approached him in a threatening manner, prompting him to arm himself with a knife for self-defense. He also alleged the victim struck him in the left elbow with a baseball bat, causing several injuries that the officers documented with photos.
Billy then admitted that he discarded the knife in a dumpster north of the restaurant, but officers were unable to locate either the knife or the baseball bat during a later search of the area.
When officers spoke with the victim again, he denied nearly hitting Billy with his vehicle. He maintained Billy initiated the confrontation by displaying a knife and said he only picked up a baseball bat after suffering the stab wound because Billy was still armed. The victim allegedly told police he didn’t strike Billy with the bat.
After the accounts were taken, Billy was transported to a local hospital for medical clearance before being booked into the McKinley County Adult Detention Center for his outstanding warrants and additional charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, tampering with evidence, resisting, evading or obstructing an officer, and concealing his identity.
His case was transferred to the District Court on July 27, and his detention hearing is set for the week of Aug. 10. Further court dates are pending.
