Woman arrested after attempting to hit officer with vehicle in southern New Mexico

Sep. 15—A Deming police officer fired "at least one round" toward a woman during a traffic stop early Saturday morning. No one was reported injured.

Kassandra Castro, 32, of Deming is charged with aggravated assault on a peace officer and aggravated fleeing a law enforcement officers. She is being held at the Luna County Detention Center. It is unclear if she has an attorney.

The Deming Police Department could not be reached regarding the status of the police officer.

New Mexico State Police spokesperson Wilson Silver said at about 4:30 a.m. Saturday, a Deming police officer was trying to make a traffic stop when the driver — later identified as Castro — failed to stop. A pursuit ensued, ending when she drove through a barbed wire fence, hit a cable box and got stuck in a field by mile marker 31 on New Mexico Highway 11.

Silver said as the officer approached the vehicle, Castro got the vehicle unstuck and drove toward the officer, who fired "at least one round." The suspect then surrendered and was arrested.

No one was injured during the incident, he said.

According to court records, Castro had an outstanding warrant for failing to appear on an original charge of trafficking controlled substances.

The incident is under investigation, he said.

"The New Mexico State Police acts solely as a factfinder in officer-involved shootings and does not determine whether an officer's actions were justified," Silver said. "That decision rests with the district attorney's office."