ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — It was a chaotic scene at Coronado Center on Black Friday, after two teens ran through the packed mall – one of the teens with a gun in hand.

“There was a gentleman, I couldn’t really hear him at the time, but as I processed it, he said, ‘He has a gun,’ but he pointed at the kid, which caught my attention,” said BCSO Lt. Santiago Roybal. “That person was the eventual shooter.”

Roybal wasn’t on the clock – he was shopping with his family.

“I drew my weapon, I had my off-duty weapon on me, and after he shot the round, he ran off, so I just ran after him,” Roybal said.

In the H&M store nearby, an off-duty APD officer, Bryan Carrillo, was also shopping with his friend.

“What went straight through my head was, throw all my items on the floor, of course get my off-duty firearm, and pull out my badge,” Carrillo said.

Carillo ended up meeting with Roybal outside.

“He advised me that he was radioing everything over and he told me the direction that the juvenile was going, and I included myself in the foot pursuit,” Carrillo said.

Both of them ran after the 15-year-old suspect, Isaiah Montoya.

“It’s basically a reaction to the situation, I didn’t even hear anybody yell behind us,” Roybal said. “My focus now was specifically on the suspect. For me, it’s a checklist at that point, I am going to work.”

“I was not expecting this whatsoever, it caught me completely off guard, but I was just happy that I was able to act properly and try to assist others,” Carrillo said.

“I want to make sure that another round doesn’t go off,” Roybal said. “I know that I don’t have all the equipment that I would have if I was on duty, so my approach is a little different, to be further back.”

Montoya ended up getting away, but they were able to give a good description of him as police swarmed Coronado Mall.

Roybal has gone over situations like this time and time again with his family – what to do and where to hide. However, to his surprise:

“My dad actually chased after me, so I came back before he did because he was still looking for me,” Roybal said. “We all yelled at him a little for doing that and his response to everyone was, “That’s my son.’ That part gets me a little emotional.”

Both officers credit their training to this response and are just thankful no one was injured.

MORE:

• New details emerge about teen accused of firing shot outside Coronado Mall
• APD: Suspect in Coronado Mall shooting turns himself in
• APD: At least one shot fired at Coronado Mall, no injuries reported