Meet Pedro Moreno. “My American dream was to be financially independent,” he says. As the owner of U Neek Findings, he has a great passion for selling antiques. But his hard work doesn't come without some challenges. “We've had multiple break-ins,” Moreno says. Since opening the store in 2010, the owner says he's reported a burglary every three months. The most recent occurred on May 26. According to surveillance video obtained by KOAT, two men came around the corner of the store, smashed the front window and stole more than $2,000 worth of jewelry from the front display cases. The suspects then escaped through the front window. In Your Neighborhood: Local News from KOAT Action 7 News The break-in lasted about four minutes in total. “It was so fast, they hurt themselves,” Moreno says. “One of them had a cigarette butt in his mouth and dropped it right there.” The store owner showed KOAT some of the evidence he'd collected, including blood stains on the window frame and window curtains. Moreno said he wanted to take it to the Albuquerque Police Department. But he added that officers didn't come to inspect the damage until eight hours after the incident. “They treated me really badly, like a second-class citizen. When I called to report, they hung up,” he said. “One of them said, 'Well, you spoke your mind, didn't you? Ok, have a good day,' and hung up. I was just explaining why I called her.” KOAT reached out to APD about the recent incidents, but is still waiting for a response. Action 7 News On The Go: Download the app for free. In the meantime, Moreno said he's fed up. “My life is at risk over this,” he said. That means deeper conversations with city officials, reforms within law enforcement and more facilities for people with mental illness. For businesses like his. “We have people here who need money, and this is part of their income to get by,” Moreno said. “They're enduring it until they can't take it anymore.” In 2022, Albuquerque ranked in the top 10 cities with the worst retail crimes, according to a National Retail Federation survey. Follow us on social media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
Meet Pedro Moreno.
“My American dream was to become financially independent,” he said.
As the owner of U Neek Findings, he has a great passion for selling antiques, but all his hard work doesn't come without some challenges.
“There have been multiple break-ins,” Moreno said.
The store owner said since he opened his shop in 2010, he has received reports of thefts every three months.
The most recent occurred on May 26th.
According to surveillance video obtained by KOAT, two men walked around the corner from the store, broke the front window and stole $2,000 worth of jewelry from a front display case before fleeing through the front window.
Your neighborhood: Local News from KOAT Action 7 News
The entire robbery lasted about four minutes.
“They were going so fast they cut themselves,” Moreno said. “One of them had a cigarette butt in his mouth and he dropped it right there.”
The store owner showed KOAT some of the evidence he had collected, including bloodstains on the frame and window curtains.
Moreno said this is something he would like to provide to the Albuquerque Police Department.
But officers did not show up to assess the damage until eight hours after the incident, he added.
“They treated me really badly, like a second-class citizen. When I called to report them, they hung up on me,” he said. “One of them said, 'Well, you've stated your opinion, haven't you? Ok, have a good day,' and hung up. I was just explaining why I was calling her.”
KOAT has reached out to APD about the recent incident but is still waiting to hear back.
Action 7 News On The Go: Download the app for free
Moreno, meanwhile, said he was fed up.
“This is putting my life at risk,” he said.
That means deeper conversations with city officials for businesses like his, reforms within law enforcement and more facilities for people with mental health issues.
“There are people here who need money, and this is part of their income to continue living,” Moreno said. “They hold on until they can't hold on anymore.”
In 2022, Albuquerque ranked in the top 10 cities with the worst retail crime, based on a survey by the National Retail Federation.
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