ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – During a police standoff, there is any number of ways that things that can go wrong. In this case, a New Mexico State Police officer was able to get a young girl in the middle of the standoff, to safety.
It started off as a tense situation when New Mexico State Police officers showed up to an apartment near I-40 and Tramway back in July. Court documents show Alfonso Rodriguez had violated his probation in a 2017 stolen vehicle case. He was convicted of stealing an SUV at gunpoint.
Initially, officers on the scene took an aggressive approach to try to get Rodriguez out of his apartment by threatening him with tear gas. But, Officer Tony Fetty decided to try something different by trying to talk to Rodriguez calmly, father to father.
Realizing Rodriguez had his young daughter in the apartment with him, Officer Fetty’s first priority was to get the little girl out safely. However, it was clear Rodriguez wasn’t going to budge.
That’s when Officer Fetty tried to reason with him to let him know the reason they were there, wasn’t that big of a deal. Fetty’s determination seemed to pay off as Rodriguez tried to strike a deal.
Then, after two hours, Rodriguez agreed to let his daughter go to the officers. Officer Fetty promised Rodriguez he would not tack on additional charges for that incident and kept his word. Rodriguez’s probation was reinstated.
