Albuquerque police say at least one officer shot a man they believe stole a city-owned “bait car” on Monday.
During a brief media update Monday afternoon, Deputy Chief of Police Eric Garcia told media that police had deployed a city-owned “bait car” in the area of Louisiana and Central Avenue Southeast. Bait cars are deployed by police as a lure for car thieves. Once a thief enters a vehicle, an alert is sent to police who can monitor the driver through hidden cameras and deactivate the vehicle remotely.
On Monday, police were alerted that one of the cars was moving. They followed it to the 5900 block of Osuna Road Northeast where “at least one officer” fired his weapon as the driver attempted to flee. The suspect was eventually captured in a nearby apartment complex and was transported to the hospital for “non-life threatening injuries.”
APD says a firearm was recovered on scene but could not confirm that it belonged to the suspect.