Police offer to buy stolen Walmart guns

LOS LUNAS, N.M. (KRQE) - Los Lunas police are looking for both the thieves who pulled off a $30,000 Christmas Day heist at Walmart and anyone who innocently bought the guns taken in the burglary.

The Los Lunas Police Department is even willing to pay to get its hands on the five rifles and a shotgun by reimbursing anyone what they paid for the guns if they bought them without knowing they were stolen.

In return, investigators are asking for any information on these thieves.

Several of the 40 security cameras at the Walmart recorded the crooks taking the guns out of their cases at the Walmart on State Route 6 at about 2 a.m. on Christmas.

But even with all that footage, the three people concealed their identities with dark clothes and hoods.

The trio loaded up three shopping carts with equipment before heading out to a white pickup truck, which leads police to believe a fourth suspect was the driver.

Los Lunas Police Chief Roy Melnick says the crooks took hunting rifles, not assault weapons.

“There were assault rifles at Walmart,” the chief says. “These suspects looked at them, took them out of the case and then put them on the ground. They didn't want them.

"That tells me they have specific person or persons to purchase these guns, probably hunters.”

The rifles are Model 700 bolt-action Remingtons, three of them .30-06 caliber and one .270 caliber.  The shotgun is a .20-gauge semiautomatic Remington Model 11-87.

Melnick says he is looking for anything from names to suspect descriptions.

In addition to guns, police say the thieves stole computer equipment, laptops and MP3 players.