Two men were arrested early Monday in Durango on suspicion of breaking a window and damaging several cars in an apparent fit of rage because a downtown bar was closed for a private party.
Police say the duo caused thousands of dollars of damage in an expensive but short-lived crime spree.
The incident began about 11:55 p.m. Sunday at El Rancho Tavern, 975 Main Ave.
Mikie R. Lobato, 21, of Cortez, was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving, hit and run, failure to report an accident, prohibited use of a weapon and having an open alcoholic beverage container in a vehicle. He was being held Monday in the La Plata County jail on $1,500 bail.
Dakota T. Green, 21, of Aztec, was arrested on suspicion of felony criminal mischief, prohibited use of a weapon and possession of a dangerous or illegal weapon. He was being held on $10,000 bail.
The two men were refused entry into El Rancho, where a private Christmas party was being held, said Lt. Ray Shupe, spokesman with the Durango Police Department.
Both men became angry and walked down the side of the business on 10th Street where they used brass knuckles to damage a parked car and broke a window at El Rancho, Shupe said.
Lobato and Green got into a blue Toyota Highlander and fled the area, striking a parked car while leaving, Shupe said.
During their getaway, they struck several other cars and a tree in the 200 block of East Third Avenue, he said.
A Durango police officer noticed a blue Toyota Highlander with fresh damage and stopped it in front of Durango Joe’s, in the 700 block of East College Drive.
Officers viewed video from El Rancho and followed a trail of fluid from the hit-and-runs on East Third Avenue and determined the vehicle was involved in all of the incidents, according to a news release issued by the police department.
Officers found a set of brass knuckles and two loaded rifles in the vehicle. One rifle was a .22-caliber long rifle, and the other was an AK-47 assault rifle.
The car’s backseat was littered with Coca-Cola cans.
Its front fender and license plate were missing, with one officer speculating the license plate might be wedged a few blocks away, perhaps in someone else’s parked car.
Officers also found an enormous, half-empty bottle of Canadian Mist in the car.
When a reporter asked an officer at the arrest site whether it’s usual for whiskey to be sold in such large quantities, he responded that such things “come bigger in New Mexico.”
Staff Writer Chase Olivarius-McAllister contributed to this report.
shane@durangoherald.com
