NEWS
Suspect charged in assault of man who was later run over by Farmington police officer
Prosecutors say a Farmington man battered a 46-year-old and left him in the roadway unconscious
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A Farmington man is accused of battering another man and leaving him incapacitated in the street before a police officer ran him over.
Avery Betsuie, 46, is charged with one count of involuntary manslaughter in the April 14 death of Ernest Begay, 46. Betsuie 鈥� who is identified as 鈥渉omeless鈥� in court records 鈥� was booked into the San Juan County Detention Center on Tuesday.
A few days before the incident, Betsuie was charged with armed robbery and criminal trespass for allegedly hitting a man with a cane and stealing his backpack.
鈥淒efendant has shown a history of violent behavior and has violated probation when ordered by the court,鈥� states a pretrial detention motion filed on Wednesday. 鈥淗is behavior has escalated to using weapons and one of the cases resulted in the death of another.鈥�
Deputies with the San Juan County Sheriff鈥檚 Office were dispatched around 1:15 a.m. on April 14 after receiving a call that a Farmington police officer had struck and killed a man, later identified as Begay.
鈥淓rnest will be missed but we will always carry the joyful memories of him in our hearts,鈥� an obituary for Begay stated. 鈥淗e was known for his passions of artwork, drawings, and paintings.鈥�
Farmington police reviewed footage from a nearby business, which showed Begay had gotten into a fight just before the crash, according to an arrest warrant affidavit filed in San Juan Magistrate Court.
Footage showed that around 11:18 p.m., Betsuie approached Begay and the two appeared to speak for a short time until Begay pushed Betsuie, the affidavit states.
鈥�(Betsuie鈥檚) demeanor appears to shift as he gets face-to-face with (Begay),鈥� according to the affidavit.
Footage showed Begay fall to the ground in the right lane of traffic, the affidavit states. Betsuie was seen kicking Begay at least three times before walking away.
"The area that (Begay) is laying in the roadway is in shadow and not clear,鈥� according to the affidavit. 鈥�(Begay鈥檚) body is never observed moving from the time he is battered by (Betsuie) to when he is struck by the vehicle.鈥�
Deputies spoke with a man who said that he was at a nearby gas station when he saw Betsuie and Begay get into an argument, the affidavit states. The man told deputies he watched Betsuie 鈥減unch out鈥� Begay.
The man told deputies that Begay was lying in the street for some time before he was struck and killed by Farmington police officer Jasmine Hernandez around 12:15 a.m., according to the affidavit.
Nakayla McClelland covers crime and breaking news. Reach her at nmcclelland@abqjournal.com or at 505-823-3857.
