Fugitive Alert

Farmington Police Department - New Mexico January 8, 2022

All Fugitives should be considered armed and dangerous

UPDATE-The US Marshals Service has made this a major case and is now offering up to $10,000 for reliable information leading to the arrest of Elias Buck. Farmington police are searching for 22-year-old Elias Buck after shooting a Farmington police officer late last night. Buck is 6’1,” approximately 185 pounds, with green eyes and blonde hair. He is dangerous and known to be armed. We ask anyone with information about Buck’s whereabouts to immediately contact their local police department or dial 911. We are also searching for a female as a person of interest in this case. Victoria "Rossi" Hernandez, who is 28 years old 5'5", approximately 135 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. Please call your local police department with any information about Hernandez's whereabouts

The La Plata County Sheriff’s Office received notification very early this morning that the Farmington Police Department identified Elias Buck, DOB 2/6/99 as the suspect in the shooting of a Farmington Police Officer during a DUI stop on 01/07/21. We were informed that they had established a perimeter and were going house to house in an attempt to locate Mr. Buck. We were also informed that the gun believed to be used in the shooting was collected at the scene.

We remained in contact with the Farmington Police Department throughout the day as they worked through possible locations for Mr. Buck and his girlfriend Victoria Rossi, DOB 10/24/93 as she was reported to be with him at the time of the shooting. Farmington Police informed us they were receiving assistance from the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office, The New Mexico State Police and the United States Marshal Service.

Mr. Buck is the same individual that previously escaped from the La Plata County Jail on December 27th, 2021 We have been working with our Law Enforcement partners in the region since the escape and most information has indicated Mr. Buck was remaining in the Farmington area. At approximately 1400 hrs, The La Plata County Sheriff’s Office received two tips that indicated that Mr. Buck might be back in La Plata County. The Sheriff’s Office immediately opened an incident command and is working with the Durango Police Department, the Colorado State Patrol, The United States Marshal Service and other local law enforcement agencies to follow up on all tips and apprehend Mr. Buck as soon as possible.

As we did on January 6th, we would like to ask the public to please stay vigilant and report any sightings of Mr. Buck or Miss Rossi to 911 immediately. Mr. Buck has made statements that he “will not go back to jail” and his actions last night demonstrate that he is very dangerous. If you see him, please make no attempt to contact him but call 911 immediately. There is a Crime stoppers reward available for any information leading to the arrest of Mr. Buck.

We are very thankful that the injuries sustained by Farmington Police Officer Joseph Barreto are non-life threatening and hope for a full recovery.