2 Men Sought In Las Cruces Home Invasion

Police are looking for two armed men who stormed into a man’s home, threw him and his friends onto the floor, zip-tied them and held them at knifepoint.

Police said the home invasion occurred Wednesday night on the 800 block of San Pedro Street in Las Cruces.

The victim said the incident happened so fast that the men didn’t have time to escape and instead just did as they were told and hoped for the best.

Nathan Lowe said he and six college friends were in the front room playing video games, enjoying the weather with the screen door open, when they heard a loud noise.

“They barreled through the door, had a knife in my face immediately,” Lowe said.

Lowe described the incident as the most frightening 15 minutes of his life.

“I was scared, I was scared. I didn’t want anybody to get hurt,” Lowe said.

Lowe said the men, who were wearing black ski masks, held him on the floor with and repeatedly yelled, “Get down, get down! Don’t do anything stupid, we’re professionals. We’re professionals, we ain’t amateurs.”

When police arrived they found that the front screen door had been ripped off the hinges.

Lowe said the attackers kicked his friend down and took whatever was in sight.

“They took my cellphone … everybody’s cellphone, everybody’s wallets.”

Lowe said he’s never felt unsafe along San Pedro Street, and now questions what could have provoked the men to do this. He said he’s lived in the home about a year, but will be moving out of the area as soon as possible.

“I’m thankful that we’re all still alive right now.” Lowe said. “I’m really thankful my friend just went to the hospital with a back injury and he’s not dead.”

Lowe said he will be prepared, and is advising others how to protect themselves if ever in this situation.

“I think everybody should own a gun in their house, at least one gun,” he said. “Have one gun because if we had a gun here I think that they would have run away the moment they saw that and nobody would have gotten hurt.”

Lowe said they had no descriptions of the men because they were wearing black ski masks, only showing their eyes.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or send a tip via text message to 528477.