Belen

Police are looking for a suspect who they believe is responsible for shooting at a truck Sunday afternoon and injuring two men.

Belen Police Detective Pat Gallegos said he was alerted of the shooting when three men went to the police department to report that two of them had been wounded. Gallegos said the three men told him that Joseph Bolagh, 22, of Belen was responsible for the shooting.

“These three men were doing mechanical work outside a house on Anthony Drive when the suspect came by,” Gallegos said. “They said he appeared to be highly intoxicated, became belligerent and wanted to fight with one of the men.”

The detective said the Bolagh left after the owner told him to leave. When the three men, Franklin Willis, 27, Jared Hendren, 20, and Jackson Pecot, 20, all of Belen, left the house in a pickup truck a few minutes later, they reportedly saw Bolagh at the corner of Anthony Drive and Main Street.

“Bolagh pulled up along side of then and pulled out a gun,” Gallegos said. “The three men said he fired on shot at the truck.”

The bullet reportedly struck the driver’s side door and went straight through the cab. According to Gallegos, the bullet missed Willis, who was the driver, and grazed the legs of Hendren and Pecot.

“They drove straight over to the police department and reported what happened,” Gallegos said. “Their injuries were minor, and they refused treatment by the EMTs. They later drove themselves to the hospital to be checked.”

Police officers are still looking for Bolagh and a warrant has been issued for his arrest. The suspect is currently being charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and shooting at or from a motor vehicle.

If anyone has information on this case, call Detective Patrick Gallegos at the Belen Police Department at 864-6288.

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Clara Garcia | News-Bulletin Editor

Clara Garcia is the editor and publisher of the Valencia County News-Bulletin.
She is a native of the city of Belen, beginning her journalism career at the News-Bulletin in 1998 as the crime and courts reporter. During her time at the paper, Clara has won numerous awards for her writing, photography and typography and design both from the National Newspaper Association and the New Mexico Press Association.