New Mexico State Police Arrest Couple After Officer-Involved Shooting and Two-Day Manhunt

A couple wanted in connection with an officer-involved shooting and multiple vehicle thefts was apprehended following a nearly 48-hour manhunt, New Mexico State Police announced.

The incident began on February 23, 2026, when an NMSP sergeant conducted a traffic stop on a black Kia Sportage suspected of being stolen along US Highway 285 near mile marker 185, south of Vaughn in Guadalupe County. The driver, identified as Makaela Johnson, 26, exited the vehicle and was being placed in handcuffs when the passenger, Jovan Martinez, 40, emerged armed with a rifle and opened fire on the sergeant.

Johnson, still handcuffed, fled back to the vehicle and entered the passenger seat as the sergeant took cover behind his patrol unit and returned fire with his duty weapon. The suspects then sped away from the scene, evading immediate pursuit.

While responding to the shooting, NMSP officers encountered a couple near mile marker 166 who reported their grey Kia K5 had just been stolen at gunpoint. According to the victims, Martinez and Johnson were standing in the roadway; Martinez fired at least one shot into the ground to force them to stop, then ordered them out of the car before fleeing in the second stolen vehicle.

The original black Kia Sportage was later found abandoned near the intersection of US Highway 285 and New Mexico State Highway 247, having veered off the road and crashed through two barbed wire fences into an open field. The second stolen Kia K5 was discovered east of the intersection of River Road and Lone Wolf Road, south of Fort Sumner.

After an intensive search involving multiple law enforcement agencies, Martinez and Johnson were located on February 25, 2026, hiding in a shed outside Fort Sumner. They were taken into custody without incident and booked on multiple charges.

Martinez faces counts including attempt to commit first-degree murder (willful or deliberate), aggravated assault upon a peace officer with a deadly weapon, possession of a firearm by a felon, conspiracy to commit receiving or transferring stolen motor vehicles, armed robbery, harboring a felon, and aggravated fleeing a law enforcement officer (no injury or great bodily harm).

Johnson is charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder (willful and deliberate), conspiracy to commit aggravated assault upon a peace officer with a deadly weapon, conspiracy to commit armed robbery, harboring a felon, receiving or transferring stolen motor vehicles, escape or attempt to escape from a peace officer, and larceny ($250 or less).

No officers were injured in the incident, which remains under investigation by the New Mexico State Police Investigations Bureau.

“Our officers put their lives on the line every day to protect their communities, and when one of our own is targeted with violence, it is something I take very seriously,” said NMSP Chief Troy Weisler. “Let me be clear, any individual who attempts to harm one of my officers will quickly come to regret that decision and I guarantee they will be brought to justice. I want to thank our fellow law enforcement partners who aided in the swift apprehension of these criminals.”

U.S. Marshal David O. Barnett, Jr., added, “The United States Marshals Service is dedicated to joining forces with our law enforcement partners to reduce violent crime. We are committed to working together to improve the lives of our New Mexico communities.”

The NMSP sergeant’s identity has not been released pending the completion of interviews, and the officer has been placed on standard administrative leave. As fact-finders in the case, NMSP is conducting an unbiased investigation, documenting the scene, collecting evidence, and interviewing involved parties. All findings will be forwarded to the appropriate district attorney’s office for review, which will determine if the officer’s actions were justified.

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