ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A routine accident response along I-40 quickly escalated into a surprising arrest when officers heard gunfire from a vehicle passing the scene—and discovered a familiar figure inside.
On July 17, emergency crews were tending to a multi-vehicle crash on westbound Interstate 40 near University Boulevard. As officers managed the congested area, shots rang out from a Jeep Gladiator traveling along the freeway. Police immediately pursued the vehicle, ultimately pulling it over at Sixth Street and the nearby frontage road.
Inside the Jeep were two men, and after detaining the passenger, officers realized they had just taken former UFC fighter Diego Sanchez into custody.
“I recognized him right away—Diego Sanchez, the UFC guy,” one officer said on body camera footage.
According to police, Sanchez acknowledged having a firearm in the car but denied firing it. However, the driver, Derrick Montoya, told officers that Sanchez had fired shots from the vehicle’s window.
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Montoya later spoke with KRQE News 13 and shared that his longtime friend had been struggling emotionally. “He just rolled down the window and fired off a few rounds yelling, ‘I love you, Albuquerque!’” Montoya recalled. “I was shocked. I told him, ‘Come on, Diego.’”
Police recovered a gun and ammunition from the Jeep. Sanchez was arrested and charged with shooting from a motor vehicle and negligent use of a firearm.
Although prosecutors sought to keep Sanchez in custody until trial, a judge denied the motion, and Sanchez has since been released.
No injuries were reported during the incident.
