Three Men Federally Charged in Brutal Assault That Left Victim with Life-Threatening Injuries
ALBUQUERQUE / Monday, September 28, 2026 – Three men are facing federal charges for allegedly beating a man with a sledgehammer and dumbbells, leaving him with life-threatening injuries.
According to court documents, on September 23, 2026, Craig Yazzie, 35, Angel Smith, 22, and Manualito Begay, 18, all enrolled members of the Navajo Nation, allegedly entered a residence in Nageezi, New Mexico, and assaulted a man with a sledgehammer and dumbbells, leaving him with life-threatening injuries.
Afterward, Yazzie and Smith encountered a family member nearby, and Yazzie allegedly told him they had beaten the victim and left him outside. The family member found the victim beneath a wooden structure near the residence, bleeding from his face and struggling to breathe.
The victim was airlifted to a local hospital, where medical personnel determined that he had suffered a collapsed lung, a head laceration, and multiple contusions.
Yazzie, Smith, and Begay were located at a residence in Bloomfield, New Mexico the following day and arrested.
Yazzie, Smith, and Begay are charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and assault resulting in serious bodily injury. They will remain in custody pending a detention hearing, which has not been scheduled. If convicted of the current charge, the defendants face up to 10 years in prison.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Special Agent in Charge Justin A. Garris of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office made the announcement today.
The Farmington Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department and Navajo Nation Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eliot Neal is prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Source: U.S. Attorney's Office, District of New Mexico
