Owner of Smoke Shop Charged With Murder After Thief, “I was angry, he fucked me over.”

Albuquerque –

Albuquerque Police Department homicide detectives charged and arrested the owner of a smoke shop who shot and killed a man after he stole items from the store on Wednesday.

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Detectives arrested Mohtasem Mahir Thabata, 35, and charged him with an open count of murder. Thabata is the owner of Moe’s Smoke Shop, located at 933 San Mateo Blvd. N.E. He later told APD detectives that a man, identified as Matthew Sedillo, 40, ran out of the store with two T-shirts and a glass bong without paying for the items. Thabata grabbed his handgun from a holster and chased Sedillo outside.

Thabata said he yelled for the man to stop as Sedillo got into a white vehicle. A female was in the passenger seat. The female did not participate in the robbery. Thabata said he grabbed on to the driver’s door and showed his gun to Sedillo as he reversed in the parking lot. Thabata said he was knocked to the ground and dragged by the vehicle.

Thabata said he dropped his gun when he fell, but picked it up as he got back on his feet and chased after the vehicle as it continued to drive in reverse. He said he fired a bullet at the vehicle.

Surveillance video also showed the sequence until the car is out of frame and Thabata was seen running after the vehicle. An audible gunshot was heard, followed by a second gunshot.

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The woman who was in the car said she ducked near the floorboard when she saw Thabata raise the gun toward the car. She said after she heard the gunshot, then Sedillo slumped over the driver’s seat and his foot pressed down on the gas, causing the car to go faster through the parking lot until it crashed.

Sedillo died at the scene as a result of his injuries.

Thabata said he fired his handgun to stop the man and recover his property. He said, “I was angry, he fucked me over.”

Detectives consulted with the District Attorney’s Office and charged Thabata with an open count of murder. He was booked into MDC on May 29, just before 5 AM.

Matthew Sedillo has a long criminal history dating back to 2006, with convictions or plea agreements in several cases through 2022. However, in every case filed since April 23, 2024, he has been found incompetent to stand trial. Most recently, on December 19, 2024, he was charged with shoplifting (over $250 but not more than $500) and compounding a crime. On December 26, 2024, he was charged with non-residential burglary, criminal damage to property (over $1,000), and larceny (over $500 but not more than $2,500). In January 2025, he was charged with non-residential burglary, larceny (over $500 but not more than $2,500), conspiracy to commit non-residential burglary, and criminal damage to property (under $1,000). In March 2025, he was charged with non-residential burglary, larceny (over $500 but not more than $2,500), and criminal damage to property (under $1,000). All four of these cases were ultimately dismissed due to his continued incompetency to stand trial.