Gabrielle Arsiaga/News-Sun
A Hobbs man was arrested after allegedly stealing a pair of shoes and a cellphone from a kid and then threatening to shoot him.
Johnny Thompson, 18, of Hobbs, was arrested on May 23 and charged with robbery, a third-degree felony.
On April 18, Hobbs Police Department officers were dispatched to the area of North Fowler Street and East Lea Street for a call about a fight. Prior to officers arrival, dispatch told officers “juvenile offenders” were running north on Dalmont, towards Sanger.
Shortly after police arrived at the intersection, a chase ensued.
The two male suspects, one of whom was later identified as Thompson, was chased east into a parking lot and into an alley where they were seen discarding of a pair of Nike shoes and a black BB gun.
Both suspects got away and officers were unable to locate them.
After officers lost the suspects, the victim in the alleged fight was contacted. The victim told officers he had planned to go play basketball at Will Rogers Elementary School and as he was leaving his home, going into the alley, he was approached by two males who he could not identify because they were wearing masks.
“(The victim) told officers the males then ordered him to take off his shoes, put his phone down, and empty his pockets,” the criminal complaint states. “(The victim) then advised that one of the male subjects pulled up their shirt and was brandishing a handgun in his waistband. (The victim) said he complied with their directives and after the males took his property, they told him to ‘take off running before he got shot.’”
According to the victim, he valued the items taken from him at $2,000.
A witness in the area who had seen the incident stated as she was traveling south on McKinley, she saw two males with masks chasing the victim around the fence. She said that when the two males saw her, they began running northbound on Dalmont.
Officers located the black BB gun, which was similar to the description given by the victim as the weapon he was threatened with.
In a separate incident, on April 28, around 8:50 a.m., HPD officers responded to Houston Middle School in reference to a subject with a gun.
According to the criminal complaint, a female told police there there were two males walking onto school grounds with a gun and she believed that gun was a sawed off shotgun.
The school was placed on lockdown and police began to search the area for suspects.
Two males were located, one of which was later identified as Thompson, and one was carrying what appeared to be a sawed off shotgun.
The two males were placed into handcuffs and were identified as Henry Land and Johnny Thompson.
After other officers arrived to the location where Land and Thompson were apprehended, those officers were able to identify Land and Thompson as the suspects from the robbery 10 days prior to this incident.
When officers reviewed their body cam footage, Thompson is seen looking back at the camera while the other suspect, Land, was unable to be identified on the footage but officers believed it was him.
Land was not charged in either case, however he does have priors from 2019 to 2022.
In 2019, Land was charged with possession of a controlled substance, a fourth-degree felony. In 2020, he was charged with accessory to kidnapping, a second-degree felony. Also in 2020, he was charged with possession of a controlled substance, a fourth-degree felony. In 2021, he was charged with breaking and entering, a fourth-degree felony. In 2022, he was charged with breaking and entering, a fourth-degree felony.
In all of Land’s cases leading up his charges in 2021, they were all dismissed by the prosecutor. In 2022, he has an arraignment scheduled for June 6 before Magistrate William Shoobridge.
Thompson also had priors from 2021 to 2022.
In 2021, he was arrested and charged with no driver’s license, no proof of insurance, and careless driving, all misdemeanors. In this case he was found not guilty on all charges. In 2022, Thompson was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance, a fourth-degree felony. Also in 2022, he was charged with unlawful carrying of a deadly weapon on school premises, a fourth-degree felony.
In the armed robbery case, Thompson was released on May 24 on a 10 percent cash bond of $50,000. His conditions of release was revoked on May 25 and he is currently being held at the Lea County Detention Center. He is scheduled for a preliminary examination before Hobbs Magistrate Willie Henry on June 8.
