Farmington man accused of armed robbery, pointing gun at police officer

• Myron Lopez faces seven charges including two second-degree felony counts of armed robbery and a third-degree felony count of aggravated assault upon a peace officer.
• Tyson Quail, Lopez’s attorney, did not respond to requests for comment.
• The defendant's preliminary hearing is set for the morning of Feb. 12 in Farmington Magistrate Court.

FARMINGTON — A Farmington man is accused of multiple crimes including robbing two people at gunpoint and assaulting a police officer by pointing a handgun at him.

Myron Lopez, 20, allegedly robbed two people and assaulted a motel employee and a Farmington police officer. He's also accused of felony possession of a firearm and resisting arrest during an early morning incident on Jan. 24, according to court documents.

The defendant faces seven charges including two second-degree felony counts of armed robbery and a third-degree felony count of aggravated assault upon a peace officer, according to the criminal complaint.

Tyson Quail, Lopez’s attorney, did not respond to requests for comment.

The Farmington Police Department was dispatched around 4:13 a.m. on Jan. 24 to the Motel 6 at 1600 Bloomfield Boulevard on reports of an armed subject.

Officers spoke to a motel employee and two motel guests.

The guests, a male and female, told police Lopez knocked on their room door and that the male guest knew Lopez. The woman said Lopez entered their room, pulled out a gun, pointed it at both of them and robbed them of a speaker valued at $150. 

A motel employee told police Lopez pointed a black and silver handgun at his face.

Lopez then left the Motel 6 and started walking westbound on East Broadway Avenue toward the area of the shuttered Red Lion Hotel and the Farmington Inn on Scott Avenue, documents state.

The defendant was seen running around in the area of the Farmington Inn and Courtyard by Marriott and ignored an officer’s commands to stop, according to court documents.

Lopez was reportedly seen running from floor to floor of the Farmington Inn, banging on windows and doors. A Farmington police officer who located Lopez near the Farmington Inn said the defendant lifted the handgun and pointed it at the officer.

The officer said Lopez then threw the gun to the ground. Lopez was then detained by officers.

The firearm was initially believed to be a BB gun, but it was later identified as a “CZ-52” handgun. The Česká Zbrojovka vzor 52, or ČZ vz. 52, is a European military sidearm manufactured between 1952 and 1982 that is popular among gun collectors, according to the website of online gun parts and accessory supplier Harrington Products.

Lopez remains held at the San Juan County Adult Detention Center on a no-bond hold.

District Court Judge Daylene Marsh granted the prosecution’s motion for the no-bond hold during a Feb. 4 hearing in Aztec District Court.

The defendant's preliminary hearing is set for the morning of Feb. 12 in Farmington Magistrate Court.

Joshua Kellogg covers breaking news for The Daily Times. He can be reached at 505-564-4627 or via email at jkellogg@daily-times.com.

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