Downs Racetrack & Casino Sees Armed Man Arrested For Pointing Gun at Visitors

Posted on: December 8, 2022, 09:15h. 

Last updated on: December 8, 2022, 01:26h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More
Expertise: Legal, Tribal Gaming.

A man was arrested Monday after he allegedly aimed a firearm at several people inside New Mexico’s Downs Racetrack & Casino.

Sign for New Mexico’s Downs Racetrack & Casino
Sign for New Mexico’s Downs Racetrack & Casino, pictured above. A man allegedly aimed a gun at people in the casino. (Image: American Casino Guide)

The suspect, Deandre Davis, who lives in California, discarded the gun before he tried to flee from the Albuquerque casino after spotting police officers, KRQE, a local TV station, reported.

Davis was recorded on surveillance cameras pointing the gun, the Albuquerque Police Department said.

He was apprehended soon after the incident and charged with negligent use of a deadly weapon, resisting arrest, and tampering with evidence, KRQE said.

The incident began when Davis was a passenger on a city bus. He was punched in the face by a passenger, KRQE said. Davis then pulled out a firearm. He got off the bus when the man who punched him left the bus. Davis then made his way into the casino.

Murder Near Casino

In an unrelated incident earlier this year, a murder took place in the area around Albuquerque’s Route 66 Casino Hotel in February. The suspect turned out to be the victim’s son, the local sheriff’s office said.

Darrin Martinez, 39, was arrested for the murder of his father, Larry Martinez. He is charged with second-degree murder and aggravated battery resulting in great bodily harm, the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office added.

Larry Martinez, 63, died following a fight involving several people, the sheriff’s office said. Darrin Martinez was the main aggressor in the struggle, authorities concluded. It also involved Larry Martinez and Devin Martinez, 30, deputies said. Devin and Darrin are brothers.

The fight erupted after an argument involving several people in the outdoor location. They were drinking and firing guns, deputies said. Officers arrived after getting calls from witnesses about the escalating confrontation.

The violent crime apparently had no link to the nearby Route 66 Casino.

Stolen Van

In still another unrelated incident, a location near Albuquerque’s Route 66 Casino was the site of a prisoner stealing a prisoner van in March after faking an illness and overpowering a deputy, authorities revealed.

The inmate, identified as Josh Hall, 34, was being transported in the van, KRQE said. He complained to a McKinley County deputy driving the van that he was having a heart attack. He said he could not breathe.

The deputy stopped the van near Route 66 Casino before getting out of the van to assist Hall. Hall then assaulted the deputy before commandeering the van and driving off, deputies said. The van eventually was spotted some 30 miles from the casino. A police vehicle rammed and pinned the van before Hall was apprehended.

KRQE further reported that Hall was wounded by a federal agent on March 15 near Route 66 Casino. The incident began when agents from the federal Homeland Security Investigations agency approached a stolen pickup truck outside the Route 66 Travel Center.

Hall reportedly used the truck to ram a vehicle driven by one of the agents, authorities said. The agent then shot Hall.

Hall was apprehended and transported to a local hospital where he received treatment before being booked.

It was not immediately clear how the cases were adjudicated.