In Albuquerque, New Mexico, loving thy neighbor means coming loaded with handguns and duct tape.
Cops said Mark Thompson broke into a home Sunday afternoon, and was caught on surveillance footage. He allegedly took a beer from the fridge, put on the victim’s jacket, and turned on the TV. And he was being watched. The homeowner, who was not home, was notified by his security system about movement at his house and viewed the suspect through his phone, according to a KRON report.
The homeowner reportedly called neighbor Shandra Vestal, who lives across the street.
“I went to my garage, my husband and I,” she told the outlet. “We got two pistols. We met him [the homeowner] at the cul-de-sac. He blocked off the entry of the cul-de-sac to make sure if he did have a vehicle, the man entering the home wouldn’t be able to escape,” she said. “As he pulled in, I passed him this 45 and then I got the other Ruger.”
She said they confronted the burglar inside the home, and wrapped him in duct tape. Police showed up to find the suspect tied up, belly down on the floor. Vestal said that according to cops, the man had previously burglarized another home, and was wearing clothes he had stolen.
“He truly said, ‘I’m not trying to steal anything, I just want to be friends,’” Vestal said.
Jail records obtained by LawNewz.com show Thompson remains at the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center without bond.
[Screengrab via the Albuquerque Police Department]
