Woman Loses Grand Theft Auto Challenge to Armed Citizen

A construction worker in Albuquerque, NM not only prevented his truck from being stolen, he held the thief at gunpoint until law enforcement arrived.

Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office Deputies said 61-year-old Eloi Saucedo caught the suspect attempting to drive away from his home in his Ford F-250 early Saturday morning.

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Saucedo, a construction worker who uses the truck for work, told police he and his family witnessed 25-year-old Shantelle Vierra driving through his yard, ramming his gate in an attempt to flee the scene in his vehicle.

While Saucedo’s family called 9-1-1, he grabbed his gun and ran out to stop the girl’s grand theft auto game himself.

“I pointed the gun at her and told her to not move,” Saucedo said. “She told me if I killed her I would go to jail. Then I said, ‘OK, then you’ll be dead.'”

According to a criminal complaint, Vierra nearly hit a sheriff’s deputy with the truck before being taken into custody following a short foot chase.

Vierra was charged with aggravated assault, receiving and transferring a motor vehicle, conspiracy and criminal damage to property.

Although Saucedo’s yard and truck need repairs, he’s just glad it wasn’t stolen.

“I don’t want to lose my truck. I work very hard to have what I have,” Saucedo said. “They are going to have to kill me before they take my truck.”

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