APD Auto Theft Detectives Arrest Serial Armed Robbery Offender

Thurs. Jan. 6, 2022

ALBUQUERQUE – APD officers arrested Fidel Castillo, who is accused of a series of armed robberies.

On January 4, 2022, Auto Theft detectives located the PT Cruiser featured in a recent Crime Stoppers bulletin. The vehicle was located at the Ambassador Inn on Candelaria.  Detectives followed the vehicle in order to surveil and further identify the subjects.

The vehicle eventually drove to another location in the Northeast and Air Support helped follow it. A traffic stop was attempted as the vehicle left the location and fled from officers where two subjects were dropped off at the intersection of Eubank and Lomas.

Detectives contacted the subjects and arrested a male who had an outstanding felony warrant.

The vehicle then continued to the 2900 block of Sierra Drive N.E. where the driver exited and fled on foot after the vehicle was spike belted. He unlawfully entered a residence and detectives were able to make contact with the home owner.

Several people exited the residence and officers learned the male that fled from officers was inside the residence hiding. Detectives searched the residence with the permission of the homeowner and the subject was located hiding underneath a bed.

The subject was identified as Fidel Castillo, 08/18/1972, who was found to have two outstanding felony warrants, and a federal warrant for absconding. As of right now, he admitted to committing 10 Armed Robberies and possibly others. Castillo plead guilty to two bank robberies in 2017.

An Armed Robbery Detective is currently assigned this case and is working with the FBI and AUSA for additional federal charges. The vehicle has been processed and sealed pending a federal search warrant to recover anything of evidentiary value.