Video shows store employee hold machete to suspected thief
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – New video allegedly taken inside the Adam Food Market shows a violent take on fighting crime.
With no context the video shows a clerk ordering a customer to put a hidden juice on the table – the video stops there. It appears to be at the Adam Food Market, one of the few markets left in the International District.
“There’s like really no other stores around here,” said Joel Becerra, an Adam Food Market customer.
The food market become the center of a legal battle with the City of Albuquerque over crime.
“Every week, we’re seizing firearms, we’re seizing fentanyl, and we’re seizing other illicit drugs, we’re making felony arrests,” said Luke Languit, APD Southeast Area commander.
The city is suing, trying to get the business shut down, calling it a nuisance property. They are pointing to more than 500 calls for service in one year.
“This is a case where I think the city is trying to come up with a solution to the fact that law enforcement isn’t able to curb criminal activity. So instead of accepting the accountability for that, they’re placing the accountability on businesses where crime is occurring,” said Britany Schaffer, attorney for the Adam Food Market.
Schaffer is representing the business owners. She says they’ve tried, unsuccessfully, to work with the police department by handing over passwords to their security system that has around a dozen cameras on the property.
“Contrary to how the city wants to portray our clients, they’re not involved in the criminal activity,” said Schaffer.
Maybe not, but the person who sent KOB 4 this video says this isn’t the only time employees have taken matters into their own hands.
The property and business owners as asking a judge to dismiss the city’s lawsuit.
KOB 4 did send the video to the attorney representing the business Tuesday. She says they are investigating the authenticity and context of the video. They also say there’s information to suggest the video was theatrical in nature, but they take these allegations seriously.
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