Albuquerque police shot a suspect accused of firing at officers early Monday morning on Interstate 40 west of the city. The suspect,identified as 32-year-old Claude Laska,was hospitalized following the shooting near mile marker 138 and the Route 66 Casino.
the incident unfolded after a months-long search for Laska, who was wanted on an arrest warrant for multiple violent felonies related to domestic violence. According to Albuquerque Police Department (APD), detectives had been attempting to locate laska as October 9th, learning he briefly left the state and evaded police in Las Vegas, Nevada. On November 2nd, Laska was allegedly involved in a shooting at an apartment complex on the 8200 block of Bridge Boulevard S.W., and is accused of forcibly entering a woman into his vehicle, afterward pistol-whipping her.
Detectives tracked Laska throughout the night, attempting to take him into custody without success. Shortly after 4 a.m. Monday,they encountered laska again on eastbound I-40. His vehicle ran out of gas, forcing him to pull over. APD stated that gunshots were then fired from Laska’s car, prompting one officer to return fire and strike the suspect.
Laska was taken into custody and transported to a local hospital. APD will conduct a full examination, with the Multi-Agency Task Force forwarding its findings to the District Attorney’s Office for potential criminal charges. The department’s Internal Affairs Force Division will also investigate the shooting itself.