By MES Dispatch staff
The Briefing
• A Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office sergeant was killed during a traffic stop Monday evening on Interstate 40 near Carnuel, New Mexico.
• Sgt. Michael Schlattman was outside his cruiser when a tractor-trailer struck the rear of the patrol vehicle and pinned him beneath it.
• The incident occurred about 5 p.m.; Schlattman was pronounced dead at the scene.
• The interstate was closed for hours while multiple agencies investigate the crash.
• Authorities are reviewing video and other evidence as part of an ongoing investigation.
BERNALILLO COUNTY, N.M. — A sergeant with the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office was killed Monday evening when a tractor-trailer struck his patrol vehicle during a traffic stop on Interstate 40 eastbound near Carnuel, authorities said.
Sgt. Michael Schlattman, a 13-year veteran of the department, was conducting a traffic stop shortly before 5 p.m. when the semi struck the rear of his department-issued cruiser, pinning him underneath, the sheriff’s office said. Schlattman was pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver of the tractor-trailer and several other people were treated for injuries at the University of New Mexico Hospital, according to the department.
The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office, New Mexico State Police and the Rio Rancho Police Department are reviewing dash-cam, body-cam and other footage as part of the ongoing investigation.
Interstate 40 in the area was closed for several hours while authorities worked the scene, and traffic was later reopened as investigators continued their work.
Schlattman joined the sheriff’s office in 2012 and had served in special investigations, auto theft and federal task force assignments before becoming a sergeant in 2024. Information on memorial services will be released when available, the department said.