Diligent Officer Solves Two Crimes in One Catch
Enrique Coello
By Officer Tasia Martinez
Enrique Coello, 27, was put behind bars Sunday after being chased down by a group of citizens who jumped into action after Coello stole a woman’s purse. The vigilant citizens alerted a Northeast Area Command Officer to the fleeing bandit who was able to apprehend Coello in the parking lot of the Crown Plaza Hotel, 1901 University NE. Coello was caught red-handed, still holding the purse and black laptop computer he had just taken.
At about 10 a.m. on Sunday, Coello entered a vehicle and took a woman’s purse outside of the Village Inn Restaurant, 2017 Menaul Blvd. NE. The victim told police she was sitting inside of her vehicle when Coello entered and started rummaging through her belongings. She confronted him and he grabbed her purse and laptop and fled on foot. She ran after Coello, screaming for help. Several bystanders then began running after Coello and were able to alert the APD patrol officer to Coello’s location and clearly identify him as the suspect.
Coello was quickly taken into custody by the Northeast Officer, but the investigation took a turn when more stolen property was found in Coello’s possession. The officer found a stolen driver’s license, cell phone and Visa credit card on Coello and through some additional investigation was able to identify Coello as the suspect in a commercial burglary that occurred at the Marriot Hotel on Saturday.
The victims from the both the Marriot burglary and the auto burglary received their recovered stolen property. Police believe that Coello resorted to theft in order to feed his addiction to illegal narcotics, specifically heroin.
The Albuquerque Police Department reminds all citizens to look out for each other and be observant of any suspicious activity. Detectives say, in order to avoid harm, citizens should never confront a criminal if it is not necessary. Citizens are encouraged to get good descriptions of suspects and assist police by providing details such as vehicle description and direction of travel when a crime occurs.
