Albuquerque officer shot by driver of stolen car gets 25-year plea deal

A man who shot an Albuquerque police officer during a traffic stop outside a convenience store has agreed to a 25-year federal prison sentence as part of a plea deal. Santiago Perez pleaded guilty in May to drug and gun charges and is scheduled to be sentenced next week.

The shooting happened in December 2023 after an Albuquerque Police Department license plate reading camera spotted a stolen car. Officers moved in on the car at Adams Food Market on Central near Wyoming.

Surveillance video captured the shooting, showing officers boxing in Perez’s car. Perez got out and shot at officers twice. APD Officer Zachary Garris was hit in his hands, with the bullet lodging in one of them. Perez then tried to run before another officer shot him in the arm and leg.

Inside the stolen car, investigators found ammunition and a backpack filled with meth and fentanyl. The case was taken up by federal prosecutors.

According to newly filed documents, both the prosecution and defense agree Perez should be sentenced to 25 years in federal prison as part of the agreed plea deal.

Officer Garris was treated and released from the hospital after the shooting and remains with the force. Perez was on probation at the time and was sent back to prison after the shooting.