PHOENIX (AP) - A Las Cruces man is facing federal and state charges after he allegedly impersonated a U.S. marshal and fired a gun in the air.
Las Cruces police say 38-year-old Aaron Tyler Stroud confronted three people in a car. He allegedly wore a T-shirt marked “U.S. marshal,” pointed a gun at them and got into a brief scuffle with one man. Police say he threatened to shoot the man if he didn’t comply with orders and shot one round into the air.
Police say when officers arrived, he identified himself using the actual name of a deputy U.S. marshal who works out of El Paso. Federal prosecutors say he carried a radio and a badge with a six-point star.
A public defender representing Stroud did not respond to a request for comment.
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