ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A trip to Albuquerque’s Kaseman Hospital quickly turned into a nightmare for an elderly couple. While a 79-year-old woman was picking up her 83-year-old husband, she was carjacked in broad daylight. She was dragged with the vehicle until she was thrown off and left on the road.
Police said she suffered extensive injuries, coughing out teeth, and was covered in her own blood. She was transported to UNM Hospital for emergency care.
“Every case is obviously a priority. This is an extremely serious crime. The [crime against the] victims, elderly folks, [is] not acceptable as conduct,” Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman said.
The man, police claim is behind it all, is currently on the loose.
“The accusations are just outrageous. We are giving it a very high priority. Law enforcement will hunt him down, and they will catch him, maybe not tomorrow, but eventually, we will bring him back to justice,” Bregman said.
According to the criminal complaint, Fernando Granados was upset while being discharged after he was denied a ride to another treatment facility. That’s when he reportedly carjacked the couple.
The District Attorney’s Office originally filed a motion to keep Granados locked up pending trial, but the judge denied it, releasing him to pretrial services supervision. He failed to check in, then didn’t show up to a court hearing. Now, there’s a warrant for his arrest.
“There’s obviously no orders that any court can give to him that he’s willing to abide by at this point, at least,” Bregman said.
The car was found two days later near Louisiana and Zuni. That location is close to where police said Granados was originally trying to get a ride to.
Granados’ charges include auto theft and reckless driving with great bodily harm. Bregman said, as the case proceeds, they will decide whether or not additional charges will be added.
