Smoke shop owner accused of fatally shooting man who, he said, stole bong from his business

The reported theft of a bong and other merchandise from a Northeast Albuquerque smoke shop escalated into a chase, fatal shooting and fiery car crash in the middle of the afternoon Wednesday, according to police.

Mohtasem Thabata, 35, of Albuquerque, is charged with an open count of murder in the death of Matthew Sedillo, 40.

“I don’t like violence, but he left me no choice,” Thabata told police when questioned after the incident, according to a criminal complaint filed in Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court.

Around 3:10 p.m., Albuquerque Police Department officers responded to a call about a possible carjacking near Lomas and San Mateo. Minutes later, officers saw a man on the ground about 10 feet away from a burning vehicle, according to the complaint. An officer dragged Sedillo from the car before noticing he had been shot. Sedillo was later pronounced dead.

Shortly after, officers found Thabata, who was holding a handgun inside Moe’s Smoke Shop on San Mateo, just south of Lomas, police said.

Thabata told police that Sedillo went in the store and stole a glass bong and two T-shirts, and he chased him outside with a handgun, yelling for him to stop, the complaint states.

A passenger in Sedillo’s car told police that Thabata was chasing Sedillo, who got in the car and went in reverse. She told police Thabata latched on to the driver’s side door, fell off, picked up the gun, and raised it toward the car, before she heard a shot, according to the complaint. Nearby surveillance video caught two gunshots, APD spokesperson Gilbert Gallegos said.

The passenger told officers she had ducked near the floorboard when Sedillo slumped over and his foot hit the gas, causing the car to hit another vehicle and catch fire, according to the complaint.

Thabata told police he shot at the car because he wanted to recover his property, the complaint states. He is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center.