BCSO sergeant killed on I-40 near Carnuel after semi-truck hits patrol vehicle (New Mexico)

The Albuquerque Journal ^ | Modified February 24, 2026 - 8:32 p.m. | Nakayla McClelland

[CedarDave]

A sergeant with the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office was killed while on duty when his vehicle was struck by a tractor-trailer on Interstate 40 on Monday, the agency said.

"The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office is heartbroken to confirm that one of our sergeants was killed in the line of duty this evening,” BCSO spokesperson Jayme Gonzales said in an email Monday night.

Sgt. Michael Schlattman, who had been with the agency since 2012, was conducting a traffic stop late Monday afternoon on eastbound I-40 near Carnuel when the crash occurred, Gonzales said.

"While he was outside the vehicle, a semi-truck struck the rear of his department-issued vehicle, ultimately pinning him beneath," she said in a news release early Tuesday morning.

Schlattman died at the scene.

Sheriff John Allen battled tears in the early hours Tuesday morning as he spoke of Schlattman, also known as Schlatty to his colleagues.

"He was known for being a true leader in the field, as you saw him today during the traffic stop," Allen said. "He was always wondering what was going on with the agency and wondering what he can do better and how to help the deputies and how to help us become a better agency."

BCSO said investigators were reviewing dash-cam footage of the traffic stop and that multiple people were affected by the incident.

"We just want to make sure since this is so fresh and raw that we're giving everything time," Allen said. "We always want to make sure we give our community that we serve with transparency and facts ... and they're still developing."

[CedarDave]

This is a non-update to an update: "We always want to make sure we give our community that we serve with transparency and facts ... and they're still developing."

It's been just short of 48 hours since the crash and they have not updated the public on who the semi driver was or his status other than he was treated for injuries and released. No word on where he is from, his CDL license or, heaven forbid, his immigration status.

[CedarDave]

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[ImJustAnotherOkie]

Wait for it....

[Secret Agent Man]

My bet hes a foreign driver, probably questionable credentials. If not the media would be rushing to report it wasn’t one.

[FreedomNotSafety]

Making a traffic stop is not an emergency and does not justify stopping on the side of an interstate highway. This is not a tragedy. It was an easily avoidable accident. How many times have we see this play, Motorists or troopers killed while pulled over on the interstate, before the practice is banned?

Traffic stops should occur at the next available exit.

Blue flashing lights, a hi vis. vest, and a gun do not make for an invincibility shield. Forcing traffic to “pull over or slow down” only increases risk to everyone else and provides a false sense of security.

[CedarDave]

My bet hes a foreign driver, probably questionable credentials. If not the media would be rushing to report it wasn’t one.

Very possibly. Traffic was stopped on I-40 westbound for 12-hours. One bystander interviewed by one of the local TV stations said the truck almost forced them off the road shortly before the crash. The driver may have been tired, under the influence of drugs, or just ignorant of the local road. Driving on I-40 into ABQ from the east is all steeply downhill and trucks can lose control, especially in winter. However the road was dry and weather was not a factor Monday except possibly for a setting sun.

[cquiggy]

Any word yet on whether or not it was caused by the driver’s Turban slipping down over his eyes ?

[citizen]

The info is the semi driver and truck was a hazard on that road. There’s really no other way to remove the hazard.

Law enforcement has their procedures. But hey, feel free to contact the thousands of jurisdictions and tell ‘em all how stupid they are.

[Tijeras_Slim]

Haven’t driven that section of 40 in over a decade, use old 66 instead.

[Drago]

18+ miles between exits some places on I-40 in NM/AZ...and the odds of getting the vehicle to stop where you want them to stop after you light them up are pretty low.

[Tijeras_Slim]

The crash occurred near the Carnuel Exit just a mile or two from Albuquerque city limits, but you are correct, there’s places that are a whole lot of nothing too.

[riverrunner]

So how many traffic stops have you made.

Sounds to me you most likely have in front of the cruiser more then once.

[CedarDave]

Do you know which side of the Carnuel exit the traffic stop occurred? The Tijeras side or the ABQ side? The news reports I’ve seen are unclear except to say MP-170.

[metmom]

IOW, another illegal who can’t speak English.

[metmom]

He got needlessly killed.

It *IS* a tragedy.

[Tijeras_Slim]

I think it was just past the Old 66 overpass that goes over 40, pretty close to ABQ.