Texas law enforcement officials have apprehended a 15-year-old suspect believed to be involved in a robbery spree spanning multiple counties, including Bexar, Williamson and Travis counties.
The arrest came after a string of brazen social media posts where the teenager taunted authorities and showed off his criminal activities.
The suspect, whose identity remains undisclosed due to being a juvenile, was apprehended on February 12 by deputies after a tipoff led them to the 11000 block of Spring Club Drive on the Northwest Side of San Antonio.
Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar confirmed that the teenager, a student at Warren High School, faces six counts of robbery in connection with the incidents.
According to Salazar, the suspect’s criminal activities included burglarizing vehicles and even orchestrating a kidnapping to steal an iPad from a 14-year-old victim.
The teen’s audacious behavior extended to social media, where he posted videos of himself cutting off his ankle monitor and attempting to break into a Texas Department of Public Safety vehicle in Pflugerville.
One social media post, in which the teen tagged Salazar, the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office and several local news stations, was captioned: “TELL GANG UNIT TO KATCH ME.”
“I was fully expecting that he was using a fake name,” Salazar remarked during a press conference. “Nope, as it turns out, not only did he tag all of us, but he showed his face in the videos, and he used his real name, so it wasn’t very hard to track him down.”
Authorities speculate that the suspect’s motive for posting the videos on social media was to gain attention and clout.
In one particularly alarming post, the teenager was seen wearing a makeshift Ku Klux Klan hood with a caption indicating intentions to commit acts of violence against the African American community.
Salazar noted the seriousness of the threats, stating: “He was indicating that he was going to rob and kill members of the African American community. So that really gave us cause for concern, and we really felt the need to catch this kid as soon as possible.”
The arrest, described by Salazar as “pretty laughable,” occurred without incident after law enforcement officers surrounded the suspect’s residence and ordered him to surrender.
A drone monitoring the scene captured the moment the teenager attempted to flee through a back window but ultimately surrendered upon realizing he was under surveillance.
Despite the suspect’s non-threatening appearance, Salazar expressed relief that he was taken into custody before any further harm could be inflicted. “I’m just glad we got him into custody before he made good on his threats to harm people,” he said.
The investigation also led to the arrest of an adult believed to be associated with the suspect in the crime ring. Authorities suspect that the group, consisting of four to five individuals, may be responsible for additional criminal activities in the area.
Law enforcement officials are urging anyone who believes they may have been a victim of the suspect’s crimes to come forward and contact the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office at (210) 335-6000 or bscotips@bexar.org.
