ALBUQUERQUE, NM — Albuquerque police have released video showing officers taking a murder suspect into custody after a city bus driver recognized him and called 911. The man, 36-year-old Juan Maestas, was wanted in connection with three different shootings and was accused in the killing of 43-year-old Travis Kimbrough.
The quick tip set off a police response that ended with Maestas running from officers before he was arrested. Drone footage captured part of the chase and showed him carrying a gun during the flight. Police said he dropped the weapon before officers caught up with him.
Bus driver recognition triggered the police response
The chain of events began earlier this week when a city bus driver saw Maestas and believed he was the person police were looking for. The driver called 911, giving officers a chance to move in fast.
According to Albuquerque police, the recognition mattered because Maestas was already being sought in a homicide case and tied to several shootings. The call helped officers locate him before he could get away.
Police did not describe where the bus driver saw him, but the encounter was enough to prompt an immediate response from officers.
Drone video captured the chase
Police shared drone footage that shows Maestas trying to run from officers once they closed in. The aerial video also captured him with a gun as he fled.
Officers pursued him on foot, and the footage shows him dropping the weapon before police arrested him. The video underscores how quickly the situation unfolded once officers found him.
Authorities have not publicly described any injuries during the arrest. What police have emphasized is that the suspect was armed and was taken into custody after the pursuit.
Maestas was wanted in three shootings
Police said Maestas was a suspect in three separate shootings at the time of the arrest. The homicide allegation involved the death of Travis Kimbrough, whom officers said was shot and killed by Maestas.
That case placed Maestas at the center of a broader investigation rather than a single isolated incident. Officers had been looking for him as they worked through the shootings connected to him.
Police did not give additional details about the other two shootings in the release, but they made clear that the murder case was one part of a larger criminal inquiry.
The arrest ended with a murder charge
After the chase, officers arrested Maestas and booked him on an open count of murder. In New Mexico, that charge means the case is moving forward while investigators continue to build the homicide file.
Police did not say whether other charges are expected, but the murder allegation is now the central accusation against him. The arrest marks a significant step in a case that had already prompted a citywide search.
Officials have not announced a court date or given further information about the status of the three shooting investigations.
Why the police video matters to investigators
For investigators, the video provides a visual record of the arrest and the moments leading up to it. It also shows how a member of the public helped police identify a wanted suspect before he could disappear again.
The footage is likely to be important not just as a public release, but as a summary of the arrest sequence itself. It links the bus driver’s call, the police response, the chase, and the recovery of the gun into one timeline.
Police have not said whether the weapon has been tied to any of the shootings, but the fact that Maestas was armed during the pursuit adds to the seriousness of the case.
Community tip led to a fast ending
The arrest shows how quickly a routine public sighting can turn into a major police operation. A bus driver’s decision to call 911 gave officers the lead they needed to confront a suspect they believed was dangerous.
Maestas is now facing an open count of murder as investigators continue to examine the shootings connected to him. For Albuquerque police, the arrest closed one immediate chapter while leaving the larger case in motion.
No additional details about Kimbrough’s killing or the other shootings were released with the video.
