Pueblo police looking for ‘puffer’ auto theft suspects

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) -- The Pueblo Police Department is looking for three suspects after a "puffer" vehicle theft Tuesday morning.

Officer Brandon Beauvais says the thieves took advantage of woman who left her car running while unattended, also known as "puffing."

Shortly after the theft, the owners located the stolen car which was parked nearby. The owners confronted the suspects and were menaced by one of them with a handgun. The suspects then fled, leaving the car behind, before police arrived on scene.

"These people are nothing to play with. They're dangerous," said Tony Martin, the son of the victim. "Don't leave your car unattended because it'll get stolen in just seconds."

Officer Beauvais says the male suspect who brandished the weapon was wearing a gray hoodie and left in a red early-2000's L Series model Saturn sedan. The car appears to have a spare tire on the rear driver side.

The two other male suspects believed to be involved with the theft also left on bicycles prior to officers arriving.

Most car owners are not as lucky to recover their vehicle within an hour after it gets stolen. Pueblo police usually take an average of eight days to locate car.

"We just ask citizens of our community to participate with us and not leave these easy opportunities for our criminals to steal your property and commit other crimes and cause havoc within our community," Beauvais said.

The search for the suspects comes during a statewide campaign to raise awareness about "puffing."

Officer Beauvais patrols the local neighborhoods early in the morning as people get ready for their day. He says the cold winter months are when people commonly warm up their vehicles unattended.

Between the years 2018 and 2019, Pueblo had a total of 98 "puffing" vehicles stolen.

"We can prevent that from happening by simply being in our cars when they're warming up, investing in an automatic starting system or even a steering wheel locking device," Beauvais said.