Tuesday, May 22, 2007
By Jeff Proctor
Journal Staff Writer
The family of a grandmother who was killed a year ago Monday when an Albuquerque Police officer struck her with his squad car wants the case re-examined.
And if Police Chief Ray Schultz, Sheriff Darren White and District Attorney Kari Brandenburg won't take another look at the circumstances surrounding Flora Aragon's death, "we'll hit the streets with petitions and let the voters decide whether these people should still have jobs," Aragon's granddaughter, Denise Baker, said during a rally Downtown on Monday. "We won't stop until police officers stop thinking they are above the law."
On May 21, 2006, officer Zachariah Floyd was responding to a domestic violence call in which a man was trying to remove a child from a home just after midnight near 53rd and Central. On the way, his car hit a block wall and went into a yard where Aragon was outside chatting with family. The car pinned Aragon against a table, killing her.
A grand jury in March decided not to indict Floyd.
Baker and other family members have filed a civil wrongful death lawsuit against Floyd and the city of Albuquerque. It is pending.
On Monday, members of the family and local watchdog group Vecinos United signed a citizen's arrest warrant for Floyd and letters to the City Council and Brandenburg asking for a criminal trial.
The group— about 20 people at its largest— marched with picket signs from police headquarters to City Council chambers, where the council was meeting.
Baker walked to the front of the room and asked to present "some paperwork," to which Council President Debbie O'Malley replied: "Excuse me, you're out of order."
Showing posts with label Zachariah Floyd. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Zachariah Floyd. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Monday, May 21, 2007
Group calls for citizen's arrest of cop in fatal crash
By Michael Gisick, The Albuquerque Tribune
Monday, May 21, 2007
A police watchdog group is seeking the citizen's arrest of an Albuquerque police officer involved in a fatal wreck last year.
New Mexico Vecinos United is also calling for the resignations of Albuquerque Police Chief Ray Schultz and Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White, charging both with condoning abuses by their officers.
A letter calling for the resignations will be handed over to city and county officials during a protest today, Vecinos United director Andres Valdez said. The protest marks the one-year anniversary of the crash that left 74-year-old Flora Aragon dead.
A grand jury this year cleared APD Officer Zachariah Floyd of criminal wrongdoing in the crash.
An APD investigation found that he was speeding through a South Valley neighborhood while responding to a domestic violence call when he swerved to avoid another vehicle and hit a wall outside Aragon's home. The wall collapsed, killing Aragon and injuring two other people.
Valdez said the group will hand over a "citizen's arrest warrant" against Floyd as part of the protest, scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. outside the main police station Downtown.
"We're going to present it to the chief and see what the response is," Valdez said. "We're not going to grab (Floyd) and use excessive force against him."
Valdez said the "warrant" has not been signed by a judge.
"And we probably won't find one who will sign it," he added.
APD spokeswoman Trish Hoffman said a warrant without a judge's signature has no legal standing. She said she'd never heard of private citizens swearing out an arrest warrant.
"There's a process in place, and it was followed," Hoffman said of the Floyd case. "The grand jury determined that no crime was committed."
Aragon's family has filed a wrongful death suit against APD, said Aragon's granddaughter, Denise Baker.
The letter from Vecinos United claims officers initially called in the crash that killed Aragon as a minor traffic accident, and that as a result emergency medical responders weren't prepared to treat her injuries.
It also claims police tried to have firefighters wash away blood at the scene to destroy evidence.
Baker said she hopes the arrest warrant, which was her idea, will prompt a second look at the case.
"We don't know what was presented" to the grand jury, whose proceedings are secret, Baker said. "We want another court to look at this."
Baker said the failure to prosecute Floyd left the impression that police officers are "above the law, in some cases."
Vecinos United charges Schultz with condoning abuses by officers in several cases, including Aragon's.
"Thank God most police officers are reputable and good officers," the letter to Schultz states. "You are not one of them."
But, it continues, "You must resign so that there may be some hope for a police chief that would get rid of officers that hurt, kill and abuse human beings."
A letter to White employs similar language and says the group calls for his resignation with "much joy."
Valdez was instrumental in pushing for the creation of APD's independent Police Oversight Commission after a series of police shootings in the late 1990s. He's since been critical of the commission, saying it sides too often with police.
An attempt to make a citizen's arrest of a law enforcement official is not without precedent in New Mexico.
As Valdez noted, Chicano land rights leader Reyes Lopez Tijerina used the proposed citizen's arrest of a district attorney as the basis for the famed 1967 raid on the Rio Arriba County Courthouse in Tierra Amarilla.
"That's not to say we're intending to raid anything," Valdez said. "We're not."
Monday, May 21, 2007
A police watchdog group is seeking the citizen's arrest of an Albuquerque police officer involved in a fatal wreck last year.
New Mexico Vecinos United is also calling for the resignations of Albuquerque Police Chief Ray Schultz and Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White, charging both with condoning abuses by their officers.
A letter calling for the resignations will be handed over to city and county officials during a protest today, Vecinos United director Andres Valdez said. The protest marks the one-year anniversary of the crash that left 74-year-old Flora Aragon dead.
A grand jury this year cleared APD Officer Zachariah Floyd of criminal wrongdoing in the crash.
An APD investigation found that he was speeding through a South Valley neighborhood while responding to a domestic violence call when he swerved to avoid another vehicle and hit a wall outside Aragon's home. The wall collapsed, killing Aragon and injuring two other people.
Valdez said the group will hand over a "citizen's arrest warrant" against Floyd as part of the protest, scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. outside the main police station Downtown.
"We're going to present it to the chief and see what the response is," Valdez said. "We're not going to grab (Floyd) and use excessive force against him."
Valdez said the "warrant" has not been signed by a judge.
"And we probably won't find one who will sign it," he added.
APD spokeswoman Trish Hoffman said a warrant without a judge's signature has no legal standing. She said she'd never heard of private citizens swearing out an arrest warrant.
"There's a process in place, and it was followed," Hoffman said of the Floyd case. "The grand jury determined that no crime was committed."
Aragon's family has filed a wrongful death suit against APD, said Aragon's granddaughter, Denise Baker.
The letter from Vecinos United claims officers initially called in the crash that killed Aragon as a minor traffic accident, and that as a result emergency medical responders weren't prepared to treat her injuries.
It also claims police tried to have firefighters wash away blood at the scene to destroy evidence.
Baker said she hopes the arrest warrant, which was her idea, will prompt a second look at the case.
"We don't know what was presented" to the grand jury, whose proceedings are secret, Baker said. "We want another court to look at this."
Baker said the failure to prosecute Floyd left the impression that police officers are "above the law, in some cases."
Vecinos United charges Schultz with condoning abuses by officers in several cases, including Aragon's.
"Thank God most police officers are reputable and good officers," the letter to Schultz states. "You are not one of them."
But, it continues, "You must resign so that there may be some hope for a police chief that would get rid of officers that hurt, kill and abuse human beings."
A letter to White employs similar language and says the group calls for his resignation with "much joy."
Valdez was instrumental in pushing for the creation of APD's independent Police Oversight Commission after a series of police shootings in the late 1990s. He's since been critical of the commission, saying it sides too often with police.
An attempt to make a citizen's arrest of a law enforcement official is not without precedent in New Mexico.
As Valdez noted, Chicano land rights leader Reyes Lopez Tijerina used the proposed citizen's arrest of a district attorney as the basis for the famed 1967 raid on the Rio Arriba County Courthouse in Tierra Amarilla.
"That's not to say we're intending to raid anything," Valdez said. "We're not."
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Officer Won't Be Charged in Death
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
By T.J. Wilham
Journal Staff Writer
A 12-member grand jury decided this week not to indict an Albuquerque police officer whose speeding patrol car struck and killed a grandmother in May.
Family members of 73-year-old Flora Aragon said Tuesday they are angry at the justice system and feel that officer Zachariah Floyd should be charged with something.
"We don't think it is right. We don't think it is fair," said Aragon's granddaughter Denise Baker. "Police officers can do whatever they want. They pretty much own our streets. If it was you or I, we would be sitting in front of a judge right now being sentenced."
On May 21, officer Floyd, 23, was responding to a domestic violence call in which a man was trying to remove a child from a home just after midnight near 53rd and Central. On the way, his car hit a block wall and went into a yard where Aragon was outside chatting with family members. The car pinned Aragon against a picnic table, killing her.
Floyd was trying to pass a truck on a two-lane street when the vehicle turned in front of him, causing the officer to swerve and lose control.
During a six-month internal affairs investigation, police determined that Floyd was driving his cruiser 43 mph in a 25-mph zone.
In January, police Chief Ray Schultz suspended Floyd for three weeks without pay for speeding and making a dangerous pass.
Deputy District Attorney Gary Cade said his office presented to the grand jury witnesses who saw what happened, and who were not police officers.
He also noted that a multi-jurisdictional team investigated the crash and rendered its findings to the grand jury.
"We presented information about what happened, and we did not attempt to shade it one way or the other," Cade said. "We presented information from almost all of the witnesses, and the grand jury made its decision and we respect that."
By T.J. Wilham
Journal Staff Writer
A 12-member grand jury decided this week not to indict an Albuquerque police officer whose speeding patrol car struck and killed a grandmother in May.
Family members of 73-year-old Flora Aragon said Tuesday they are angry at the justice system and feel that officer Zachariah Floyd should be charged with something.
"We don't think it is right. We don't think it is fair," said Aragon's granddaughter Denise Baker. "Police officers can do whatever they want. They pretty much own our streets. If it was you or I, we would be sitting in front of a judge right now being sentenced."
On May 21, officer Floyd, 23, was responding to a domestic violence call in which a man was trying to remove a child from a home just after midnight near 53rd and Central. On the way, his car hit a block wall and went into a yard where Aragon was outside chatting with family members. The car pinned Aragon against a picnic table, killing her.
Floyd was trying to pass a truck on a two-lane street when the vehicle turned in front of him, causing the officer to swerve and lose control.
During a six-month internal affairs investigation, police determined that Floyd was driving his cruiser 43 mph in a 25-mph zone.
In January, police Chief Ray Schultz suspended Floyd for three weeks without pay for speeding and making a dangerous pass.
Deputy District Attorney Gary Cade said his office presented to the grand jury witnesses who saw what happened, and who were not police officers.
He also noted that a multi-jurisdictional team investigated the crash and rendered its findings to the grand jury.
"We presented information about what happened, and we did not attempt to shade it one way or the other," Cade said. "We presented information from almost all of the witnesses, and the grand jury made its decision and we respect that."
Friday, January 19, 2007
Victim's relative: Cop had lax penalty
By Michael Gisick, Abq Tribune
Friday, January 19, 2007
The granddaughter of the 74-year-old woman killed last year when an Albuquerque police officer lost control of his car and crashed says the officer's three-week suspension isn't nearly enough punishment.
"If he were a regular person, he would be charged with reckless driving or voluntary manslaughter," Denise Baker said. "Instead, in our eyes he gets a vacation while our family suffers every day."
Baker said she had been told the Bernalillo County District Attorney's Office would take the case before a grand jury in March to determine whether Zachariah Floyd, 23, broke any laws. She said the officer should be suspended until then.
District Attorney Kari Brandenburg said the case likely would be taken to grand jury, though she said she couldn't confirm when.
"Car accidents do happen, and there isn't always a crime involved," she said. "The issue here is whether any laws were broken."
Police confirmed this week that Floyd had been suspended over the incident and said the case had been forwarded to the District Attorney's Office for review.
A police investigation following the May 21 crash found that Floyd was speeding through a neighborhood as he responded to a domestic violence call.
He swerved to avoid another vehicle, then hit a brick wall at 5208 Crestview Place S.W. The impact killed Flora Aragon and injured her daughter and a family friend.
Baker said Police Chief Ray Schultz called her Wednesday and told her Floyd had been suspended for three weeks.
"He said that was the longest he could suspend him because of the union," she said.
Police spokesman John Walsh said department rules prohibit him from confirming the length of the suspension, saying only that it was "substantial."
He said Floyd would return to patrol duties following the suspension and would also be required to talk to cadet classes about his experience.
Friday, January 19, 2007
The granddaughter of the 74-year-old woman killed last year when an Albuquerque police officer lost control of his car and crashed says the officer's three-week suspension isn't nearly enough punishment.
"If he were a regular person, he would be charged with reckless driving or voluntary manslaughter," Denise Baker said. "Instead, in our eyes he gets a vacation while our family suffers every day."
Baker said she had been told the Bernalillo County District Attorney's Office would take the case before a grand jury in March to determine whether Zachariah Floyd, 23, broke any laws. She said the officer should be suspended until then.
District Attorney Kari Brandenburg said the case likely would be taken to grand jury, though she said she couldn't confirm when.
"Car accidents do happen, and there isn't always a crime involved," she said. "The issue here is whether any laws were broken."
Police confirmed this week that Floyd had been suspended over the incident and said the case had been forwarded to the District Attorney's Office for review.
A police investigation following the May 21 crash found that Floyd was speeding through a neighborhood as he responded to a domestic violence call.
He swerved to avoid another vehicle, then hit a brick wall at 5208 Crestview Place S.W. The impact killed Flora Aragon and injured her daughter and a family friend.
Baker said Police Chief Ray Schultz called her Wednesday and told her Floyd had been suspended for three weeks.
"He said that was the longest he could suspend him because of the union," she said.
Police spokesman John Walsh said department rules prohibit him from confirming the length of the suspension, saying only that it was "substantial."
He said Floyd would return to patrol duties following the suspension and would also be required to talk to cadet classes about his experience.
Monday, May 22, 2006
APD Officer Involved In Fatal Crash
Monday, May 22, 2006
By Miguel Navrot and Jeff Proctor
Journal Staff Writers
An Albuquerque grandmother sitting at a picnic table with family members died early Sunday after a police car crashed through a cinder-block wall, pinning the 73-year-old against the table.
Flora Aragon had been in the front yard of the family home around midnight, enjoying the cool air and chatting with her daughter and her daughter's boyfriend when the squad car slammed onto the property.
Crash Kills Grandma
Lucas Coshenet/Journal
Shantel Perez looks at the shrine placed in honor of her grandmother Flora Aragon, 73.
The crash killed Aragon and injured the other two.
But it is the police's handling of the crash, which happened on Crestview SW near West Central and 53rd Street, that family members talked about most Sunday.
As they gathered for a candlelight vigil for Aragon, they pointed out the dried blood stains on the picnic table.
"The police department's not telling us anything," said Denise Baker, one of Aragon's 29 grandchildren. "They're not offering condolences. They're being rude to us, like we're the criminals here."
A multi-agency group is investigating the crash, which involved a rookie officer identified as Zachariah Floyd, 23, Albuquerque police spokesman John Walsh said. Much of that investigation is expected to be completed this week.
"This is a tragedy, just an absolute tragedy," Walsh said Sunday. "The officer is extraordinarily upset over the events and, obviously, so, too, is the family of the victim."
The crash happened as police answered a domestic violence call in the West Side neighborhood.
Floyd, responding to the call, was preparing to park his squad car when another vehicle veered alongside, Walsh said. Floyd steered sharply, struck a curb and drove through the 2-foot high cinder-block fence.
The impact struck Aragon from behind, family said, pinning her between the car and the wooden picnic table.
The crash also injured her daughter Tonnie Sanchez, 52, of Albuquerque and Sanchez's boyfriend, Ismael Villalobo, 39.
Rescuers took Aragon to the University of New Mexico Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
An inter-agency team composed of Albuquerque police, Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office and State Police is investigating the crash, Walsh said.
The local District Attorney's Office is expected to oversee and review the investigation.
Floyd is on three-day paid administrative, pending the investigation, Walsh said.
Neither alcohol nor speed appears to have been a factor in the crash, Walsh said. Authorities took breath and blood tests from Floyd after the crash.
"We've done breath tests and a blood draw, which is standard on all fatals," Walsh said. "In any event, neither of the two factors appears to have been present at the onset of this investigation. It is, however, still ongoing."
Walsh noted that the airbags on Floyd's cruiser didn't deploy. A deployed airbag can indicate high speed.
Walsh said it is "very unlikely" Floyd will face a vehicular homicide charge. He added that, for such a case to be made, the driver must either have been intoxicated or driving recklessly at the time of the crash.
Aragon's family disputed the contention that Floyd wasn't driving recklessly. The cinder-block wall that was toppled in the crash was reinforced with metal rebar, family said.
Further, they said, flying debris punched at least two holes in the home, one through an exterior wall and another through the wood door.
"We left this here because it tells a story," Baker said of the blood-stained picnic table, which authorities cut through to extract Aragon.
Baker said another granddaughter of Aragon's who arrived at the home after the accident was tackled by police after she started taking photos of the scene. Officers confiscated the camera and hadn't returned it as of Sunday night, Baker said.
"We feel the cops are covering up the incident a little bit," Baker said. Other family members agreed.
Baker did have compliments, however, for a violent crimes detective who personally offered flowers, condolences and assistance with memorial services.
On Sunday, as debris and fallen plants covered the crash site, family placed fresh flowers and photographs of Aragon next to the shattered picnic table. Photos included snapshots and portraits from when she was 10 years old through this past New Year's.
Aragon came to Albuquerque in 1965 from Del Norte, Colo., a town in the San Luis Valley. She had six children.
A parishioner of St. Therese of the Little Flower Church, Aragon retired as an inspector for Honeywell in Albuquerque, family said.
Services are pending.
By Miguel Navrot and Jeff Proctor
Journal Staff Writers
An Albuquerque grandmother sitting at a picnic table with family members died early Sunday after a police car crashed through a cinder-block wall, pinning the 73-year-old against the table.
Flora Aragon had been in the front yard of the family home around midnight, enjoying the cool air and chatting with her daughter and her daughter's boyfriend when the squad car slammed onto the property.
Crash Kills Grandma
Lucas Coshenet/Journal
Shantel Perez looks at the shrine placed in honor of her grandmother Flora Aragon, 73.
The crash killed Aragon and injured the other two.
But it is the police's handling of the crash, which happened on Crestview SW near West Central and 53rd Street, that family members talked about most Sunday.
As they gathered for a candlelight vigil for Aragon, they pointed out the dried blood stains on the picnic table.
"The police department's not telling us anything," said Denise Baker, one of Aragon's 29 grandchildren. "They're not offering condolences. They're being rude to us, like we're the criminals here."
A multi-agency group is investigating the crash, which involved a rookie officer identified as Zachariah Floyd, 23, Albuquerque police spokesman John Walsh said. Much of that investigation is expected to be completed this week.
"This is a tragedy, just an absolute tragedy," Walsh said Sunday. "The officer is extraordinarily upset over the events and, obviously, so, too, is the family of the victim."
The crash happened as police answered a domestic violence call in the West Side neighborhood.
Floyd, responding to the call, was preparing to park his squad car when another vehicle veered alongside, Walsh said. Floyd steered sharply, struck a curb and drove through the 2-foot high cinder-block fence.
The impact struck Aragon from behind, family said, pinning her between the car and the wooden picnic table.
The crash also injured her daughter Tonnie Sanchez, 52, of Albuquerque and Sanchez's boyfriend, Ismael Villalobo, 39.
Rescuers took Aragon to the University of New Mexico Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
An inter-agency team composed of Albuquerque police, Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office and State Police is investigating the crash, Walsh said.
The local District Attorney's Office is expected to oversee and review the investigation.
Floyd is on three-day paid administrative, pending the investigation, Walsh said.
Neither alcohol nor speed appears to have been a factor in the crash, Walsh said. Authorities took breath and blood tests from Floyd after the crash.
"We've done breath tests and a blood draw, which is standard on all fatals," Walsh said. "In any event, neither of the two factors appears to have been present at the onset of this investigation. It is, however, still ongoing."
Walsh noted that the airbags on Floyd's cruiser didn't deploy. A deployed airbag can indicate high speed.
Walsh said it is "very unlikely" Floyd will face a vehicular homicide charge. He added that, for such a case to be made, the driver must either have been intoxicated or driving recklessly at the time of the crash.
Aragon's family disputed the contention that Floyd wasn't driving recklessly. The cinder-block wall that was toppled in the crash was reinforced with metal rebar, family said.
Further, they said, flying debris punched at least two holes in the home, one through an exterior wall and another through the wood door.
"We left this here because it tells a story," Baker said of the blood-stained picnic table, which authorities cut through to extract Aragon.
Baker said another granddaughter of Aragon's who arrived at the home after the accident was tackled by police after she started taking photos of the scene. Officers confiscated the camera and hadn't returned it as of Sunday night, Baker said.
"We feel the cops are covering up the incident a little bit," Baker said. Other family members agreed.
Baker did have compliments, however, for a violent crimes detective who personally offered flowers, condolences and assistance with memorial services.
On Sunday, as debris and fallen plants covered the crash site, family placed fresh flowers and photographs of Aragon next to the shattered picnic table. Photos included snapshots and portraits from when she was 10 years old through this past New Year's.
Aragon came to Albuquerque in 1965 from Del Norte, Colo., a town in the San Luis Valley. She had six children.
A parishioner of St. Therese of the Little Flower Church, Aragon retired as an inspector for Honeywell in Albuquerque, family said.
Services are pending.
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Birthday plans end in fatal crash
by Megan Arredondo
Tribune Reporter
Sunday, May 21, 2006
It was just after midnight, and 74-year-old Flora Aragon was getting ready to bake a birthday cake for a granddaughter who was turning 10 that day.
Aragon sat at a wooden picnic table early Sunday in her front lawn at 5208 Crestview Place S.W. with daughter Tonnie Sanchez and her daughter's friend Ismael Villalobo, the eggs and cake decorations in front of her.
She never got to make the cake.
Albuquerque police Officer Zachariah Floyd, 23 and a rookie of less than a year, crashed his cruiser through a low cinder-block wall surrounding Aragon's home and into the three.
Sanchez, 52, said she and Villalobo were thrown several yards.
Her mother was not so lucky.
The vehicle hit her from behind and pinned her against the picnic table and bench.
"My mom didn't even see it coming," Sanchez said.
Aragon died after being transported to University of New Mexico Hospital, police said.
John Walsh, spokesman for the Albuquerque Police Department, said Floyd was responding to a domestic violence call in the 200 block of 53rd Street Southwest when the crash occurred.
Floyd was traveling south on 53rd Street and was passing another southbound vehicle when the other driver turned left, into his path, Walsh said.
It forced Floyd to veer into Aragon's yard, Walsh said.
The officer did not have emergency lights or sirens on when the crash occurred, but that is common practice when approaching a domestic violence disturbance, Walsh said.
While the investigation continues, it doesn't appear Floyd was speeding because his car's air bag did not inflate in the crash, Walsh said. Floyd was not injured in the crash, Walsh said.
Sanchez said Floyd didn't immediately try to help her or her mother.
"I laid there on that (patio) floor in pain for 45 minutes before anyone came to me," Sanchez said. "It took them forever."
Walsh, however, said rescue units arrived within four minutes of the call.
Sanchez suffered lacerations on her leg and thigh and required stitches for a cut on her arm. Villalobo had minor cuts on his head, lip and back, she said.
Meanwhile, Aragon remained pinned in front of her home.
Family members say emergency respondents didn't come prepared, lacking equipment that could've expedited the rescue.
"They were yanking her (Aragon) by the arm," said Eva Marie Candelaria, one of Aragon's grandchildren.
Emergency workers eventually cut apart the wooden table that pinned her, Candelaria said.
On Sunday afternoon, more than half a day after the crash, pieces of the table and bench still lay in front of the house like a bloodied jigsaw puzzle. Broken cinder block was strewn across the front yard, some of the pieces marked with dried blood.
A makeshift memorial of flowers, candles and photographs were placed amid the rubble where Aragon was trapped.
"She was a wonderful person," son Alvin Aragon said. "A wonderful mother."
His mother built the bench and table set she was pinned against, he said, along with the wooden fences on the side of her home.
Granddaughter Denise Baker said Aragon lived for her family.
"Life without one of her kids was not life," Baker said. "Family was everything."
She said she was devastated when she got the phone call that her grandmother had died.
"I could feel everything in my body leave," she said wearing a T-shirt stained with her grandmother's blood. "We were all in shock; it still hasn't settled in. We're still waiting for her to get up."
The most upsetting part for Baker and other family members was the way police treated them, she said.
Baker said police confiscated a camera one family member was using to photograph the crash scene.
She also said police called in the crash as "bravo," meaning injuries were minor, rather than "delta," which meant there were serious injuries. As a result, Baker said, the emergency crew was unprepared for what it found.
"Who's to say what would've happened if it was done properly," Baker said. "They were more concerned about getting the officer, who didn't have any injuries, out."
Walsh said Albuquerque police don't differentiate when they report a wreck with injuries.
A second officer arrived at the scene shortly after the crash and called for aid, Walsh said. "You couldn't have any faster response" than occurred, he said.
Walsh said the crash is under investigation by a team consisting of representatives from the Police Department, State Police, Bernalillo County Sheriff's Department and the District Attorney's Office.
Floyd has been put on paid administrative leave for 72 hours while the investigation is being conducted, he said.
Baker said the family is looking for an apology from the Police Department.
"We want some respect," she said. "They took her life and walked away like they did nothing wrong. . . . They're supposed to be there to serve and protect. Well, they didn't serve and protect her."
Tribune Reporter
Sunday, May 21, 2006
It was just after midnight, and 74-year-old Flora Aragon was getting ready to bake a birthday cake for a granddaughter who was turning 10 that day.
Aragon sat at a wooden picnic table early Sunday in her front lawn at 5208 Crestview Place S.W. with daughter Tonnie Sanchez and her daughter's friend Ismael Villalobo, the eggs and cake decorations in front of her.
She never got to make the cake.
Albuquerque police Officer Zachariah Floyd, 23 and a rookie of less than a year, crashed his cruiser through a low cinder-block wall surrounding Aragon's home and into the three.
Sanchez, 52, said she and Villalobo were thrown several yards.
Her mother was not so lucky.
The vehicle hit her from behind and pinned her against the picnic table and bench.
"My mom didn't even see it coming," Sanchez said.
Aragon died after being transported to University of New Mexico Hospital, police said.
John Walsh, spokesman for the Albuquerque Police Department, said Floyd was responding to a domestic violence call in the 200 block of 53rd Street Southwest when the crash occurred.
Floyd was traveling south on 53rd Street and was passing another southbound vehicle when the other driver turned left, into his path, Walsh said.
It forced Floyd to veer into Aragon's yard, Walsh said.
The officer did not have emergency lights or sirens on when the crash occurred, but that is common practice when approaching a domestic violence disturbance, Walsh said.
While the investigation continues, it doesn't appear Floyd was speeding because his car's air bag did not inflate in the crash, Walsh said. Floyd was not injured in the crash, Walsh said.
Sanchez said Floyd didn't immediately try to help her or her mother.
"I laid there on that (patio) floor in pain for 45 minutes before anyone came to me," Sanchez said. "It took them forever."
Walsh, however, said rescue units arrived within four minutes of the call.
Sanchez suffered lacerations on her leg and thigh and required stitches for a cut on her arm. Villalobo had minor cuts on his head, lip and back, she said.
Meanwhile, Aragon remained pinned in front of her home.
Family members say emergency respondents didn't come prepared, lacking equipment that could've expedited the rescue.
"They were yanking her (Aragon) by the arm," said Eva Marie Candelaria, one of Aragon's grandchildren.
Emergency workers eventually cut apart the wooden table that pinned her, Candelaria said.
On Sunday afternoon, more than half a day after the crash, pieces of the table and bench still lay in front of the house like a bloodied jigsaw puzzle. Broken cinder block was strewn across the front yard, some of the pieces marked with dried blood.
A makeshift memorial of flowers, candles and photographs were placed amid the rubble where Aragon was trapped.
"She was a wonderful person," son Alvin Aragon said. "A wonderful mother."
His mother built the bench and table set she was pinned against, he said, along with the wooden fences on the side of her home.
Granddaughter Denise Baker said Aragon lived for her family.
"Life without one of her kids was not life," Baker said. "Family was everything."
She said she was devastated when she got the phone call that her grandmother had died.
"I could feel everything in my body leave," she said wearing a T-shirt stained with her grandmother's blood. "We were all in shock; it still hasn't settled in. We're still waiting for her to get up."
The most upsetting part for Baker and other family members was the way police treated them, she said.
Baker said police confiscated a camera one family member was using to photograph the crash scene.
She also said police called in the crash as "bravo," meaning injuries were minor, rather than "delta," which meant there were serious injuries. As a result, Baker said, the emergency crew was unprepared for what it found.
"Who's to say what would've happened if it was done properly," Baker said. "They were more concerned about getting the officer, who didn't have any injuries, out."
Walsh said Albuquerque police don't differentiate when they report a wreck with injuries.
A second officer arrived at the scene shortly after the crash and called for aid, Walsh said. "You couldn't have any faster response" than occurred, he said.
Walsh said the crash is under investigation by a team consisting of representatives from the Police Department, State Police, Bernalillo County Sheriff's Department and the District Attorney's Office.
Floyd has been put on paid administrative leave for 72 hours while the investigation is being conducted, he said.
Baker said the family is looking for an apology from the Police Department.
"We want some respect," she said. "They took her life and walked away like they did nothing wrong. . . . They're supposed to be there to serve and protect. Well, they didn't serve and protect her."
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