Man arrested for allegedly driving a stolen vehicle

Travis Camacho

On Thursday, Jan. 31, 2020, at about 10:50pm, the CNMI Department of Public Safety received a 911 call reporting a possible pedestrian accident on Beach Road, in front of the KFC and Taco Bell restaurants in Susupe. The caller added that he was calling for the victim. DPS dispatched units to the area.

A nearby unit that was conducting routine patrol arrived and noticed the victim was holding a T-shirt against his forehead. The victim appeared to have blood smeared across his face and body. At about 10:53pm, medics arrived and applied first aid to the victim.

The victim told police that he was parked near the U.S. Postal Service in Chalan Kanoa awaiting a call from a customer when three male juveniles approached him asking if he was a taxi operator. The three flashed the operator dollar bills and asked him if he could drive them somewhere. The three juveniles got into the vehicle and directed the operator to the beach side behind the Aquarius Beach Tower. Once the operator drove the vehicle there, the juveniles instructed him to keep driving forward. The operator got suspicious as the area was dark with no people around.

As soon as the operator stopped the vehicle, one of the juveniles seated behind the driver’s seat reached forward and began to choke the victim for about two minutes. As the victim was being choked, the two other juveniles repeatedly struck the victim’s head. The victim was unable to move as he was being restrained. The victim then bit the forearm of the juvenile strangling him and, when the juvenile let go, he quickly got out of the vehicle and ran toward the main road to seek help. During this time the victim saw his vehicle leaving the area heading north before losing sight of the car.

All units were informed to be on the lookout for the victim’s vehicle.

At around 3:28am, an officer was conducting routine patrol along Paupau Beach in San Roque when the officer noticed the described vehicle drive past. The officer notified dispatch that the reported vehicle had been located. When the officer pulled the vehicle over he noticed that the vehicle had blood splatter in the front seats and a male individual was operating the vehicle.

The operator got out of the vehicle and identified himself as Travis Camacho. He told police that he was just walking though Chalan Kanoa when his friend approached him with the vehicle. He got in and joined his friend drive around. After sometime, he asked if he could use the car to go to the store. Camacho said that his friend told him to make sure he returned the car once he was done.

Camacho was taken to the Commonwealth Health Center before being transported to the Department of Corrections where he was booked and detained.

If you or someone you know want to report a crime that occurred in your village, we encourage you to call 911. If you would like to remain anonymous, call the CNMI Crime Stoppers hotline at 234-7272. (PR)