Taos gun store burglarized

Taos Police say an unidentified suspect broke into SMD Zombie Tactical gun shop in Taos early Saturday morning (Sept. 15) and stole 21 weapons, the second burglary of the local business in less than two years.

The store owner helped identify the stolen weapons, which had not been located as of press time Wednesday (Sept. 19). The serial numbers on the firearms had been entered into the National Crime Information Center, a federal database that tracks stolen items and other crime-related information.

Taos Police Chief David Trujillo said a suspect used a ladder to scale the outside of the building. Then, the individual shattered the skylight, hauled the ladder onto the roof and used it to descend into the storeroom below.

After a review of surveillance video that captured the crime, the chief said no suspects have been identified and that no getaway vehicles were visible. Trujillo said possibly four suspects enter the frame of the camera.

Taos Police and investigators with the Taos County Sheriff’s Office are working the case in tandem, and are reviewing footage from other surveillance systems in the area to identify a suspect or vehicle used to commit the crime.

The last time Zombie Tactical was

‘Make sure to have alarm systems and get them tested on a regular basis.’

— Taos Police Chief David Trujillo

burglarized was in May 2017. Brandon Ackaret broke into the store by carving a hole in a rear garage door. He stole more than 20 firearms.

Ackaret and an accomplice, Andrea Lukes, were arrested less than 24 hours later during a traffic stop. Earlier this year, the pair accepted plea deals that either dismiss or conditionally discharge the charges filed in each case.

In exchange for 18 months of probation, Ackaret pleaded guilty to one count of nonresidential burglary, a fourth-degree felony pending a conditional discharge. Five other charges he faced were dismissed by prosecutors.

Two months into his probationary period, however, Ackaret was arrested in Santa Fe for battery upon a peace officer and drug-related charges. The Taos man accepted a plea deal in that case as well and was released.

According to court records, Lukes remains on probation.

Trujillo said the gun store burglary is not the only one on the list of recent crimes committed on the south end of Taos along Paseo del Pueblo Sur.

On Sept. 4, a masked man with a gun robbed the southside Allsup’s convenience store. Trujillo said his team is close to making an arrest, but is still completing the arrest warrant.

Police are also looking into two recent break-ins at KOKO coffee shop and deli, in which small amounts of cash and some small items were taken.

While his department continues to work those cases, along with a string of residential burglaries that are a particular blight on the Taos community during the warm summer months, Trujillo advises people to use common sense when securing their businesses and homes.

“I would advise people to maintain their camera systems,” he said. “When we review video, sometimes the quality is poor because of dirty lenses. Make sure to have alarm systems and get them tested on a regular basis.”