A Rio Rancho man is facing multiple felony charges after police allege he held four teenagers, including his son, at gunpoint and let them fight following a dispute among the youths.
David Hill is facing three counts of child abuse and three counts of aggravated assault, according to the Rio Rancho Police Department.
Investigators said the incident stemmed from a falling out among four teenagers who had been friends.”Basically four friends, they were friends. They had a little bit of fallout,” two of the teens’ parents said. “One kid started talking to the other kids in a derogatory manner.”
Police say Hill detained the teens against their will while armed with a firearm and ordered them to fight.
Rio Rancho police released a body camera footage, where Hill acknowledged having a firearm but denied pointing it at the teenagers. “I tried to have them — I said empty your pockets. Yes, I did have a firearm as a legal firearm owner. Did I point it at them? Never. Not once,” Hill said.
Hill said he displayed the firearm because he believed someone had threatened his son. “I think a lot of this is overkill. I understand that I had a firearm out. Again, my child was sent threats with a firearm on their phone,” he said.
The parents of the other teens criticized Hill’s response. They say he should have contacted law enforcement instead of confronting the youths himself. “The individual could have called law enforcement and told them kids were here to fight,” the parents said. “Instead, he took this into his own hands, held our kids hostage and made them victims of a crime.”
The parents said they are seeking accountability and expressed concern that the incident has shaken their sense of safety in the community. “We don’t do that here in this community. It’s a very safe community,” they said. “People come here to get away from that kind of stuff and have that peace of mind. With him out roaming around, we don’t have that peace of mind right now, and we hope justice is served.”
The charges against Hill remain pending. It was not immediately clear whether he has entered a plea or retained legal counsel.
