NEWS
Former MDC Sgt. tied to inmate death charged in beating outside Downtown bar
Suspect was working as security, put man in chokehold on sidewalk, police say
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A former Metropolitan Detention Center guard who slammed an inmate on his head 鈥� leading to his death 鈥� was arrested last month after putting a man in a chokehold while working security at a honky-tonk bar in Downtown sa国际传媒官网网页入口.
Stephen Gabaldon, 33, was charged with aggravated battery resulting in great bodily harm in a June 8 incident while working as security at Bourbon & Boots, a bar at Central and Fourth. Another security guard at the bar, 27-year-old Mateo Lopez, is facing the same charges in the alleged assault.
Both Gabaldon and Lopez were booked into MDC last month and released to await trial. Gabaldon鈥檚 attorney could not be reached on Tuesday.
In a previous release, MDC officials said Gabaldon鈥檚 employment at the facility 鈥渆nded on Oct. 9, 2024.鈥� Gabaldon had been on paid leave for more than a year prior, following the death of John Sanchez, 34.
On June 12, 2023, Gabaldon was escorting a handcuffed Sanchez when Sanchez allegedly kicked him, leading Gabaldon to slam Sanchez to the ground head first.
Sanchez began vomiting and seizing shortly after and was brough to the hospital with a brain bleed, according to official reports. His family took Sanchez off life support several days later. Late last year, Bernalillo County agreed to pay Sanchez鈥檚 family $5 million to settle a wrongful death lawsuit in the case.
The Bernalillo County Sheriff鈥檚 Office investigated Sanchez鈥檚 death and forwarded the case to the 2nd Judicial District Attorney鈥檚 Office for potential charges. For over a year, the DA鈥檚 Office repeatedly said it had not decided whether to file charges against Gabaldon.
Apparently, some time since leaving MDC, Gabaldon was hired at Bourbon & Boots.
On June 8, sa国际传媒官网网页入口 police were called to the bar by a man who said he had been assaulted by the bar鈥檚 security guards, identified as Lopez and Gabaldon, according to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court. The man told officers he was walking in the area when the guards 鈥渂egan harassing him.鈥�
Police said the man told them he 鈥渞emained on the public sidewalk near a fence and did not attempt to enter the business or otherwise cause a disturbance.鈥� The complaint states the man said Lopez slapped him across the face and Gabaldon grabbed him in a chokehold and he had trouble breathing.
The man told police as Gabaldon held him on the ground in a chokehold, Lopez repeatedly punched him and 鈥渉e began tapping out because he felt he was about to lose consciousness,鈥� according to the complaint. Gabaldon told police he 鈥渁pplied the chokehold鈥� to try and calm the man down and 鈥渒eep him under control.鈥�
Police said video of the incident showed Gabaldon on top of the man as Lopez ran up and punched him multiple times.
Matthew Reisen is a senior reporter for the Journal. You can reach him at mreisen@abqjournal.com.
