By Roger Lanse

A call came into the Grant County Regional Dispatch Authority on Saturday, Mar. 23, 2019, advising that several males were fighting in the street in the area of Kelly Street and Broadway and at least one knife was involved. At approximately 1:15 p.m., a Silver City police officer was dispatched to the scene.

According to a SCPD report, two adult male witnesses stated that Sammy Chavez, 31, of Silver City (homeless), assaulted them, coming at them aggressively with a knife in his hand.

The first officer to arrive was informed by another SCPD officer that Chavez was running south through the Big Ditch which was crowded with people, the report stated. Chavez was located as he emerged from the Big Ditch onto Mill Road. He had obviously been running, was sweaty, and was walking fast and in an aggressive manner, the report said.

The first officer ordered Chavez to the ground at gunpoint as he observed what appeared to be a T-shirt wadded up in Chavez’s hands and did not know if Chavez was armed or not. After Chavez complied with the officer’s command, he was handcuffed and placed in the back of the officer’s patrol car, according to the report. No weapons were recovered from Chavez’s person.

At this time, Chavez became extremely uncompliant, the report said, and was screaming constantly and stated he did not have a knife but a water bottle. He was also banging his head on the cage of the police unit and moving violently around.

When Chavez was escorted in to SCPD, Chavez continued to scream and was kicking and slamming his head against the wall and cage where he was shackled. Officers could not calm Chavez down, the report stated. He was finally placed in shackles and a belly band to prevent injury to himself or others, or damage to property.

According to the report, another officer stated that a black and silver, fixed blade knife, had been located in a green plastic bag within 100 feet of where Chavez was first contacted on Mill Road. That officer stated when he observed Chavez running down the Big Ditch, he also had seen a green object in Chavez’s hand. Officers determined the knife to likely be the weapon used in the alleged assault.

As Chavez was being transported to the Grant County Detention Center, he became enraged, according to the report, was verbally confrontational, and used constant profanities, such so, that the officer used lights and sirens to transport him and had another officer following. Upon arrival at GCDC, Chavez continued to be verbally abusive and was constantly yelling.

Chavez was finally booked into the GCDC and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon -- knife. As of Monday, Mar. 25, he remains in custody according to GCDC staff.