Man Steals Landscapers Livelihood, Runs from Police in Crocs

Albuquerque –

On September 16th, 2026, a local company Vet Brothers Landscaping’s crew was on a job at a car dealership on the 8500 block of Lomas Blvd NE. A homeless man was pacing back and forth near the truck and decided to get into the truck. Workers tried to stop him but he fled the dealership with a fully outfitted work truck and trailer full of landscaping tools.

Workers gave police a description of a white male who was partially balding and was sporting purple Crocs.

The Albuquerque Police Department was able to quickly locate the work truck and attempted a traffic stop. That is when the driver fled but APD was able to get a GPS device affixed onto the truck. The truck ended up crashing out at Ted Hobbs Park in Southeast Albuquerque. The suspect then ran from police on foot but failed to put his Croc’s in sport mode. APD quickly apprehended him near a gated neighborhood nearby. The man was identified as 30-year-old Austin Huff.

Huff did manage to drive over 10 miles in the diesel truck. A look at neighborhood gas prices puts current diesel prices at $6.50 a gallon and caused a significant profit loss for the landscaping company. The truck was luckily not damaged much during Huff’s criminal escapade except for a broken window from employees trying to stop Huff from fleeing the scene.

Huff was charged with unlawful taking of a motor vehicle, larceny, and aggravated fleeing law enforcement.

In July of this year, Huff was charged with armed robbery and aggravated assault. He threatened children with a knife playing in a park and stole their snacks. He was out on release from that case when he committed this truck theft.