ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO — A truck driver was shot with pepper balls, tased, and arrested after barreling through an active crash investigation on Interstate 40 near Albuquerque — the very scene where a Bernalillo County Sheriff's sergeant had just been killed by another semi truck.

The incident occurred on Monday, February 23, 2026, on I-40 near Albuquerque. Two lanes of the interstate were closed as officers investigated the death of Sergeant Michael Schlattman, who had been conducting a routine traffic stop when a semi truck struck the rear of his department-issued vehicle, pinning him beneath it and killing him.

During the ongoing investigation of Schlattman's death, a second semi truck barreled through the closed lanes with no headlights on, honking its horn and cutting off other drivers. Officers pursued the tractor-trailer and the driver eventually pulled over. As he climbed out of the cab, the driver flipped off the responding officers and retreated into the back of the cab. Officers fired pepper balls through the window and ultimately tased the driver before removing him from the vehicle.

Upon his arrest, officers discovered the driver was operating the commercial motor vehicle with an expired CDL and had no registration or insurance. The driver has not been publicly identified. He faces charges of reckless driving, operating with an expired license, and failing to have registration or insurance. Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office shared video of the arrest.

All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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