Source: US FBI
ALBUQUERQUE – A Silver City man is facing federal charges after a series of increasingly violent incidents involving firearms, robbery, and carjacking, all while prohibited from possessing a gun due to a prior felony conviction.
According to court documents, on June 25, 2024, Silver City police officers responded to a residence following reports that Dominic Carbajal, 25, was possibly armed. Carbajal was detained and during a subsequent search, officers found a loaded magazine in Carbajal’s pocket and recovered a stolen pistol loaded with a 32-round magazine. Carbajal reportedly admitted he was aware he could not lawfully possess a firearm due to his status as a convicted felon.
Roughly a year later, on January 22, 2025, officers responded to an armed robbery at a local nutrition store. Surveillance video showed Carbajal walking through the store with various items before fleeing without paying. When the store owner followed him outside, Carbajal allegedly turned and pointed a black handgun at the owner before escaping in a car.
On March 23, 2025, Carbajal allegedly committed a carjacking in a parking lot. The victim reported that Carbajal approached him while he was parked, demanded his keys, and began striking him with his fists and a metal pipe. Carbajal allegedly threatened to shoot the victim if he didn’t comply, then stole the man’s wallet, phone, and jewelry before fleeing in the victim’s SUV.
Officers later tracked the stolen vehicle to a residence where Carbajal was reportedly seen. As officers attempted to arrest him, Carbajal allegedly released two pit bulls to attack law enforcement and fled on foot, discarding his clothing as he ran. He was ultimately subdued with a Taser and taken into custody. Officers reported signs of opioid intoxication, and Carbajal allegedly admitted that he had used “powder” when asked if he had taken fentanyl.
Carbajal is charged with interference with commerce by robbery, carjacking, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and using a firearm during a crime of violence. He will remain in custody pending trial, which has not been scheduled. If convicted of the current charges, Carbajal faces up to 27 years in prison.
U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Philip Russell, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Las Cruces Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Silver City Police Department and Grant County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney James Dickens is prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.