Homeless men force resident out of SE ABQ apartment

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – An Albuquerque mother and son say they are lucky to be alive after a standoff with homeless men Monday night. 

“I was really worried. I told my mom we’re probably going to die today,” said the man who asked to stay anonymous for this story. 

The standoff reportedly happened at Hacienda de Chama – an apartment complex near Louisiana and Zuni. 

The man says it started around 7:30 p.m. Monday when a group of three men attacked him inside his apartment. The man says he fled to a neighbor’s apartment while his mom came over to help. The mom – who also asked to stay anonymous – says she was able to force the men out with her own gun, but adds the homeless men were determined. 

“They were going back and forth, back and forth all night,” the mom said. “Are they gonna come in and now gun me? You know, I don’t want to get a shoot-out, but I was going to.” 

They both said they were preparing for the worst-case scenario. 

“We were in the kitchen hiding on the floor, in case they bust the door open or window and start shooting,” the mom said. 

“I was just reminding her if she had to start shooting, just save her ammo, because they have more. We’re outnumbered and outgunned,” the man said. 

They say they stood their ground expecting Albuquerque police to arrive within minutes. The mom says she called 911 before she forced the homeless men out of the apartment. An automated text message she received timestamped one of her calls at 8:29 p.m.. 

Neither the mom or son were expecting the response they got from dispatch. 

“They said that even if someone did get killed, they wouldn’t be right out, because they had no units available,” the man said. 

APD did not directly address those allegations to KOB 4 Wednesday. 

The mother and son reportedly called police several times and received the same response. Several automated text message responses received by the mom read: “we will respond to your call as soon as possible.” The say it took nearly five hours before police arrived, and it was almost too late. 

“They cut the electric and the apartment I was in, and so I think they were getting ready to attack,” the son said. 

“We were afraid that was it. They were coming in, and then the police showed up,” the mom said. 

They were able to escape the apartment unharmed and have not returned since the incident. They said the homeless men have since returned to his apartment and have told other residents they live there now. 

The man believes the homeless men attacked him because he revealed he was planning to move out of the complex. 

“They didn’t like it the fact that I was trying to move out and take all my stuff with me,” he said. “They wanted to take over my apartment and try to keep all my stuff there because I had the nicest apartment there.” 

He added he’s not the only tenant to face violent aggression from the homeless men. 

“The lady that lives next door to me. They kind of tried to overrun her apartment, and they stripped her down naked, and I think they were going to rape her,” said the son.  

The man believes the homeless men moved to his complex after a nearby location they previously took over was shut down.  He suggests the manager of his complex gave up fighting considering the few remaining tenants were told to move out by the end of last month. 

“The landlords kicking everybody out, because one guy he went through cutting holes through the walls big enough to walk through,” the man said. 

The man says all he wants to do is safely return to his apartment and grab his things, so he can leave once and for all. 

“I got stuff in there that belonged to my father that just passed away, and you know, I’d like to get everything out,” he said. “I don’t want to have to start over again.”