Editor’s Note: This video in this story contains graphic content that may be disturbing to some.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Newly released video from police shows a passenger starting a fight with a city bus driver in Albuquerque, which ultimately led to the driver facing murder charges.
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The incident began on July 9 in the morning in northwest Albuquerque. A city bus driven by 41-year-old David Gabaldon was making its rounds around 6:30 AM when he picked up two passengers along Coors Boulevard. One of the passengers had complaints about the driver’s punctuality.
The older passenger continued to gripe about the service, prompting Gabaldon to stop the bus near Coors and Hanover. He demanded that the older man get off the bus or he wouldn’t continue the route, causing annoyance among the other passengers.
Raymond Coan then stepped into the argument:
Coan: “When you’re saying the rest of us need to sit down and shut up, that’s not the best f****** thing to say.”
Gabaldon: “So what do you want me to say?”
The situation escalated quickly, with Coan throwing the first punch. A struggle broke out, and Gabaldon grabbed pepper spray, using it against Coan. The two eventually separated, with Coan retreating to the back of the bus while Gabaldon left in anger.
Video footage from the bus shows Coan watching Gabaldon before exiting from the back. The fight continued outside, where Gabaldon was seen reaching for what appeared to be a knife and stabbing Coan at least twice on camera. Coan was seen backing away, cursing, but Gabaldon pursued him, even as Coan attempted to step back.
According to court documents, the fight continued in front of a gas station until Coan went down. Officers arrived minutes later, and Coan was taken to the University of New Mexico Hospital, but did not survive. Gabaldon was arrested and now faces first-degree murder charges. A judge has ordered that he be held in jail until his trial, and a grand jury has indicted him on Thursday.
