Posted at: 07/03/2009 6:39 PM
By: Antoinette Antonio, Eyewitness News 4; Charlie Pabst, KOB.com

Wanted man arrested following standoff

Mario Mauricio

Albuquerque police have a man in custody they say was wanted for kidnapping, child abuse and domestic violence following a four hour standoff Friday.

A domestic violence call led police to the Courtyard Marriott near Paseo del Norte and Interstate 25. Police say 24-year-old Mario Mauricio is now under arrest, facing a long list of charges after police locked down the Marriott and searched dozens of rooms to find him.

Police say Mauricio escaped from his hotel room on the 4th floor of the hotel down to another room on the 3rd floor, barricading himself inside.

His girlfriend and hotel employees said he was dangerous.

Albuquerque Police Spokesman John Walsh said, �He was described also as being armed with a Smith and Wesson handgun. We immediately locked down our hotel rooms.�

Police and prosecutors highlited Mauricio as one of the most wanted domestic violence offenders in the Albuquerque area.

Police say he choked his girlfriend until she passed out, then put a gun to her head after she regained consciousness.

Already wanted for domestic violence, kidnapping and child abuse, Mauricio evaded police for four hours Friday.

Eventually, they pinpointed his location on a 3rd floor balcony and he again gave chase.

"He jumped from the 3rd floor, shimmied down to the 2nd, and then to the 1st floor, where he began to run a short distance," Walsh said.

He ran right into SWAT team officers, police say, and was placed under arrest.

Cops say that judging by the number of cars in the parking lot, there were only a few hotel guests inside during the standoff.

Mauricio faces new charges of domestic violence and for being a felon in possession of a gun.