ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Local business owners were alerted early Wednesday morning when a couple of guys broke into their store in Old Town. 

KOB 4 reported several times this year on issues with crime in Old Town. But the city, and Albuquerque police, promised to step up. 

Police say the suspected bad guys did not get far thanks to business owners, the Real-Time Crime Center, and a watchful officer. 

“We have a double-paneled window, and it was totally shattered, it went about three rows deep in the store,”

All because these guys decided to break in overnight. 

“Our phones blared off at 2 a.m. letting us know that our window sensor was going off,” said Camp Dozier, a co-owner of Happy Hiker.  

Surveillance video shows the guys smashing their way in and heading straight for the merchandise. 

“It was very evident that that business was cased before they knew exactly where to go and exactly what they wanted,” said Pete Kassetas, property manager of Plaza Don Luis. 

Happy Hiker co-owner, Camp Dozier, pulled up his security cameras as soon as he got the alert. 

“It’s just dread, it’s like not again,” said Dozier. 

He unfortunately knew from experience just what to do in this case.

“This is the third or fourth time this happened, and unfortunately we’re losing count,” said Dozier. 

But he was able to tell the police what he saw on his cameras in real time. Officers say it wasn’t just the cameras at Happy Hiker. 

City-owned cameras linked to the Real-Time Crime Center caught the crooks near Central and Rio Grande, but that’s not all. 

“In their infinite wisdom during their escape, we’re dropping items that they had stolen,” said Kassetas. 

A responding officer says a hat on the ground led him down an alley, where he found Shane Mitchell and Cade Silvers. 

The officer says they had trash bags full of stuff from Happy Hiker. Arrests were made before Dozier even got to his store Wednesday morning.

“They met me here. It takes me about 20 minutes to get here they met with the guys already in their car,” Dozier said.

It was a happy ending for the Happy Hiker. 

“What could have been an absolutely terrible morning, really just a bad one. I can roll with it, and I’ll move on and keep having a good Christmas,” said Dozier. 

According to Kassetas, it shows the city has stepped up to help out Old Town businesses after KOB 4 reported on repeated issues with crime in the tourist hot spot. 

“And it ties into what’s been going on here the last six months. The commitment that was made by the mayor and the police chief to really put eyes on Old Town,” said Kassetas.

He’s happy with the increased police presence, and the response they saw Wednesday. But he says action in court is really needed to crack down on crime in the Duke City. 

“They’ve been caught. How about the accountability? And how about we keep him in jail? How about the stand accountable and responsible for the decisions that they made,” said Kassetas.