Veteran N.M. Deputy Dies after Semi-Truck Pins Him Under Cruiser

A veteran New Mexico deputy died Monday after a tractor-trailer pinned him beneath his cruiser during a traffic stop.

Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Michael Schlattman was conducting a stop shortly before 5 p.m. along Interstate 40 near Carnuel, the agency stated in a news release on social media. Schlattman was outside his cruiser when a tractor-trailer rear-ended the vehicle.

The crash pinned Schlattman under the cruiser, and he died at the scene.

“This is every agency’s worst nightmare, and tonight it is ours,” Sheriff John Allen said in a statement. “Sergeant Schlattman was a servant leader and a protector in the truest sense. He was the kind of supervisor who never asked a deputy to do something he would not do himself. Our hearts are broken, and we are asking our community to carry this family, and this agency, in your prayers.”

During a Monday news conference, Allen said multiple people were injured in the incident, but he didn't know how many. The tractor-trailer driver was taken to the hospital, and Allen said he believed he had been released. 

"I remember (Schlattman) as a cadet and a rookie," said an emotional Allen, who took a moment to compose himself before continuing, "training him to become a Beverly County deputy."

Schlattman joined the sheriff’s office since April 2012, and he was promoted to sergeant in 2024. He worked as a detective in Special Investigations and Auto Theft, and he served as a task force officer with the U.S. Marshals Service and the Drug Enforcement Administration. 

"Sergeant Schlattman was the kind of leader deputies hope for and families trust," the agency stated. "He was known for being present, involved, and relentless in his support of others. He was not a supervisor who stayed behind a desk. He was consistently out in the field, finding the work, backing his deputies, answering calls for service, and pushing to be proactive. He was the steady voice and the steady presence that made everyone around him better."

The Rio Rancho Police Department is leading the crash investigation.

"I am heartbroken by the line-of-duty death of Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant Michael Schlattman. Sergeant Schlattman served his community with courage, professionalism, and unwavering commitment," New Mexico Department of Public Safety Cabinet Secretary Jason R. Bowie said in a statement. "On behalf of the New Mexico Department of Public Safety, I extend our deepest condolences to Sergeant Schlattman’s family, his fellow deputies, Sheriff Allen, and everyone at the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office. We stand with you in grief and in support during this painful time."