LAS CRUCES MAN ACCUSED OF POINTING LOADED AK-47-STYLE RIFLE AT FEDERAL AGENTS DURING WARRANT OPERATION

ALBUQUERQUE — A 20-year-old Las Cruces man has been charged in federal court after allegedly pointing a loaded AK-47-style rifle at two Homeland Security Investigations agents who were conducting surveillance during an unrelated warrant operation, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico.

Charles Reeser is accused of confronting the agents on September 1, 2026, while they were assisting the U.S. Marshals Service in Las Cruces. The agents were watching an apartment complex for a wanted subject and had no prior investigative interest in Reeser.

According to the federal complaint, the agents first noticed Reeser inside a vehicle manipulating an AK-47-style rifle. He then allegedly exited the vehicle and pointed the rifle at a passing vehicle. Prosecutors said Reeser was wearing a ski mask despite temperatures approaching 100 degrees.

The agents then moved to another location for tactical advantage. As they were relocating, Reeser allegedly stepped into the middle of a residential street, assumed a shooting position, and aimed the rifle directly at the agents from approximately 20 yards away.

The agents believed they were about to be fired upon and took evasive action. One of the agents later told the court that Reeser’s actions, including aiming the rifle at them as they were attempting to leave, caused him to believe Reeser was prepared to shoot.

Reeser then allegedly entered an apartment while still carrying the rifle. A short time later, he came back outside without the firearm and was taken into custody without incident. Agents recovered the rifle from inside the apartment and found it fully loaded with a round in the chamber.

During a later interview with the FBI, Reeser allegedly said he believed the two agents had been following him and that he pointed the rifle at them because he could not allow someone to “mess with him.”

Federal prosecutors also described a detail involving Reeser’s cellphone after his arrest. Before being transported to the Doña Ana County Detention Center, he was allowed to use the phone so he could provide his father with contact information. Instead, prosecutors allege, Reeser sent a message stating that it had been “homeland.” According to the complaint, he had not yet been told that the two men were HSI agents when he sent that message.

Reeser is charged with assaulting a federal officer and will remain in custody pending trial. No trial date has been scheduled. The charge remains an allegation, and Reeser is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.

The charge carries a potential maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison if Reeser is convicted under the current count.

The case was announced by First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and FBI Albuquerque Special Agent in Charge Justin A. Garris.

The Las Cruces Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated the case with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Maria Y. Armijo and Benajamin Suslavich are prosecuting the case.

The case centers on an encounter that allegedly developed with no prior investigative connection between Reeser and the two HSI agents. According to federal prosecutors, the agents were focused on a separate wanted subject when they first observed Reeser with the rifle. That point remains significant because the alleged confrontation was not described as part of an attempt to arrest or question Reeser before the rifle was aimed at them.

Federal prosecutors have not alleged in the September 22 release that Reeser fired the weapon. The accusation is that he pointed the loaded rifle directly at the agents while they were performing official duties, creating the basis for the federal assault charge.

A criminal complaint is not proof of guilt. The allegations will have to be established through the federal court process, and Reeser retains the presumption of innocence unless the government proves the charge beyond a reasonable doubt.

🔥 NOW AVAILABLE! 🔥

‎👉 Eclipsera – Apple Music

Sponsored • TRJ Ads
Inquiries: contact@therealistjuggernaut.com

AVAILABLE

AVAILABLE

AVAILABLE

AVAILABLE

AVAILABLE

AVAILABLE

AVAILABLE

AVAILABLE

AVAILABLE

AVAILABLE

AVAILABLE

AVAILABLE

AVAILABLE

AVAILABLE

AVAILABLE

AVAILABLE

AVAILABLE

AVAILABLE