Police: Man rammed stolen pickup into credit union lobby
Suspect allegedly hit car dealership employee with tire iron beforehand
The exterior of a credit union is needing a little makeover after a man reportedly crashed a stolen pickup truck into it Monday afternoon in Northeast Albuquerque.
Steven Gurule, 32, has been charged with two counts of leaving the scene of an accident, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, robbery, burglary, criminal damage to property and resisting, evading or obstructing an officer.
Gurule is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center. It is unknown if he has an attorney.
Gurule’s mother told the Journal she had no comment.
Around 3:25 p.m. Monday, the Albuquerque Police Department was responding to an aggravated battery call at the Power Ford dealership on Renaissance NE when a caller told police a man — later identified as Gurule — had rammed a vehicle inside First Financial Credit Union on Union Way NE, according to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court.
The complaint said when police arrived, a witness told them the man was at the back of the bank. Police then arrested Gurule, who was taken to a hospital before going to MDC.
According to the complaint, video surveillance showed a Ford dealership employee was inside the business when they saw Gurule break into his vehicle. The man went to confront Gurule when he hit the employee with a red tire iron and fled in the employee’s pickup.
The complaint states Gurule then drove to the First Financial Credit Union parking lot and hit a parked motorcycle. Credit union employees told police they saw him drive erratically into a handicapped-accessible spot in front of the bank before backing up and ramming the pickup truck into the bank, hitting a teller desk at the “very back” of the bank.
According to the complaint, Gurule backed up again and drove into the building again before getting out of the vehicle and running to the back. Employees told police they were safely able to get out of the way and hide.
Gurule got out of the pickup and ran, the complaint states, before forcing open a door, causing a woman who was coming in to drop her purse. He took her purse and tried to run before being caught by police, the complaint states.