Two in custody after brief standoff

LAS CRUCES - A gang member wanted on a federal warrant for violating his probation was taken into custody late Friday afternoon after barricading himself inside a Stull Drive house, just a third of a mile from Lynn Middle School, police said.

Las Cruces police, including the gang task force unit, and U.S. Marshals had been conducting surveillance in the 700 block of Stull Drive Friday when they spotted 36-year-old Alfredo Limon Jr. leave his family's home at about 4 p.m., LCPD Officer Wallace Downs said.

Over the years, Limon has allegedly been found in possession of weapons ranging from a .22 caliber pistol to an AK-47, police said.

Limon allegedly ran across the street into a neighbor's house. After police surrounded the home and encouraged Limon to surrender via public address system, he did so without incident after about 10 minutes and was taken to the Do-a Ana County Detention Center, Downs said.

Officers encountered difficulty from five men and women in Limon's family, who allegedly came out of the first home and began screaming obscenities at police, Downs said.

Also taken into custody at the neighbor's home was 23-year-old Arturo Medina, who is on probation after a 2007 gang-motivated stabbing at Watson Mobile Home Park, according to police.

Both men are members of the same gang, according to police.

Limon was on probation for being a felon in possession of a firearm, though it wasn't immediately known what his alleged violation was that led to his

arrest Friday. His criminal record also includes a 1999 conviction on two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and conspiracy and a 2002 conviction for escaping from jail and being a habitual offender, according to court records.

Ashley Meeks can be reached at (575) 541-5462.