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Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Watch Your Back: Armed Robberies Up

By T.J. Wilham
Journal Staff Writer
       Motorists, homeowners, bank tellers, gas station attendants, grocery store clerks and pizza deliverers have been held up at gunpoint the past month.
    The city is on pace to have more than 140 armed robberies this month — the most this year. On average, there have been nearly five holdups a day in October.
    Police attribute the run to the failed economy, longer nights and the upcoming holidays.
    "As the economy gets tight, people get desperate," said Albuquerque Police Chief Ray Schultz. "And we always see an increase in armed robberies around the holidays."
    Investigators are making arrests. On Sunday, they arrested two suspects who they believe held up four people within 24 hours. Last week, police arrested another suspect after he demanded a woman's purse and stole a man's car at gunpoint near Pan American Freeway and Paseo del Norte.
    "It's been getting busy," said Sgt. Michael Runyan, who commands the department's robbery unit.
    Police say there are no clear trends. They do believe that several groups have worked together, and they are noticing that more individuals rather than businesses are being robbed.
    Some of the robberies involve violence:
    n Oct. 23 — A man wearing a ski mask tried to get cash from the Giant gas station, 6100 Academy NE. When he was unable to get cash out of the register, he struck the clerk in the face.
    n Oct. 19 — Two bandits armed with guns knocked on a man's door in the 200 block of Pennsylvania NE, assaulted him, blindfolded him and took property.
    Some are bizarre:
    n Oct 21 — Two robbers armed with guns went into the Patrick Martinez Law Firm in the 1000 block of Lomas NW, locked an employee in the back office and took a safe.
    n Oct. 6 — A man wearing a baseball cap walked into a Compass Bank branch in the 12000 block of Sierra Grande NE, indicated to a clerk that he had a gun, took cash and left on a bicycle. Witnesses told police that the man was about 60 years old.
    Insurance agents, pizza deliverymen and beauty salons have also been hit.
    "Traditionally, we always see the convenience store and the gas stations," Schultz said. "But, now, we are seeing nontraditional places like lawyers' offices, beauty shops and insurance companies. They are looking for businesses that don't have the same level of security as a gas station. It's all about the opportunity."
    Bandits have been hitting the city hard for more than a year. In 2007, APD reported a 29 percent increase in armed robberies over the previous year.
    Police say one of the most notable homicides this year occurred during a robbery. In July, police say, Donte Power shot Qiu Feng Chen, owner of the Golden Star Chinese restaurant, and took a tip jar with less than $2 in it.
    APD has conducted several undercover operations in which officers and detectives have staked out areas and business that have been prone to armed robberies.
    Detectives plan to conduct multiple stakeouts this week in hopes of catching bandits in the act. Meanwhile, they said, they are tracking down leads.