Three firefighters from the Albuquerque Fire Rescue (AFR) have been suspended following their arrests for driving while intoxicated (DWI) in separate incidents over the past two weeks. AFR spokesman Jason Fejer announced that Angelo Abeyta, Rane Hanni, and Mateo Keyohara are presently on paid leave while the agency carries out an internal examination.

All three firefighters were charged with aggravated DWI. Abeyta was detained at the Sandoval County Detention Center on March 14, and Hanni and Keyohara at the Metropolitan Detention Center on March 18 and 23 respectively. They were all released within 24 hours of booking on their own recognizance.

Representatives for the men did not give a comment. AFR Chief Emily Jaramillo stated that the department is seriously handling the off-duty incidents and is fully collaborating with law enforcement.

According to a criminal complaint, the first arrest happened on March 13 when Abeyta was pulled over by the police. He was reportedly slurring words and his breath smelled of alcohol.

On the evening of March 17, Hanni allegedly tried to avoid a DWI checkpoint leading to his arrest. Despite denying having drunk, he failed sobriety tests and refused to take a breathalyzer test.

On March 22, Keyohara was reportedly seen overspeeding and was pulled over by the police. He displayed signs of alcohol consumption and a breath test revealed he was twice over the legal limit.

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