Authorities arrested a man from Houston after he allegedly attempted to meet a child for sex and fled during a traffic stop.
Santa Fe police identified the suspect as 47-year-old Gabriel Garcia. Officers arrested him on Thursday afternoon following a Special Victims Unit internet crimes investigation.
Police said the investigation started after Garcia communicated with an undercover detective he believed was a child. According to them, he acknowledged that the child was underage, and still showed a desire to commit sexual crimes.
Authorities said Garcia traveled to Santa Fe. He allegedly tried to meet the child on the south side of the city after arranging to pay for a sexual act.
When detectives tried to halt Garcia’s vehicle, he reportedly fled, leading to a brief chase with officers.
Police said Garcia tried to enter the northbound lanes of Interstate 25 after passing a vehicle on the shoulder. A uniformed officer then used a Pursuit Intervention Technique to stop Garcia’s vehicle and take him into custody.
According to authorities, the investigation also found that Garcia had an outstanding Illinois warrant. The case involved sexual assault/aggravated criminal sex abuse of a victim between 13 and 16 years old.
Santa Fe police said Garcia faces eight counts of child solicitation by electronic device and one count of sexual exploitation of children by prostitution. He also faces one count of attempted criminal sexual penetration of a minor in the first degree and one count of aggravated fleeing a law enforcement officer.
Authorities will book Garcia into the Santa Fe County Adult Detention Center.
