Staff Reports
A joint law enforcement operation targeting violent crime led to the arrest of two individuals Feb. 4 after an undercover surveillance team witnessed an armed robbery over a container of bracelets.
The incident occurred around 4:45 pm near the Marshalls department store at 702 US Highway 491.
Agents with the Gallup Police Department, the FBI, and the McKinley County Sheriff’s Office were working in an undercover capacity when they observed a struggle between two groups of people near a dumpster behind the store.
During the altercation, a man identified as Thurman Smith, 26, allegedly pulled out a small handgun. Investigators said Smith waved the pistol in the air before walking away with a container.
Smith then entered a Ford F-150 driven by a woman, later identified as Brandy Tom. According to police reports, the vehicle returned to the dumpster area where the argument resumed.
Witnesses told officers that Smith pointed the firearm at a woman from the vehicle as they attempted to flee.
Law enforcement transitioned from surveillance to action, conducting a high-risk traffic stop on the pickup truck. Both occupants were detained without further incident.
Authorities discovered the item at the center of the dispute was a container filled with bracelets.
Tom was arrested by the McKinley County Sheriff’s Office on a charge of driving while under the influence. Smith, whom officers described as highly intoxicated and initially unable to provide his name, was booked into the McKinley County Adult Detention Center.
The Ford F-150 was seized by police pending a search warrant for the firearm.
The arrests were part of a broader ongoing partnership between local and federal agencies to curb narcotics and violent crime within the city.
