Mission, TX - Home Invasion Suspect Steals Squad Car While Fleeing Crime Scene After Hitting Woman With Crowbar
Home invasion suspect steals squad car,
leads police on chase
December 01, 2009 7:05 AM
The Monitor
MISSION – Police found themselves chasing one of their own squad cars
Monday after a home invasion suspect stole it while fleeing a crime scene.
Officers arrested the man – whose name has not yet been released – outside of
his house on the city’s west side moments after he absconded with the cruiser,
Mission police Chief Leo Longoria said.
“He drove it about a mile and a half to his own house,” he said. “We got him
there.”
Investigators believe the suspect and two other men forced their way into a
house near the intersection of 2 Mile Line North and Mayberry Road just before
1:30 a.m.
Pretending to be stranded motorists in need of a cell phone, the group struck a
woman inside with a crowbar and tied her up but not before a second occupant hit
one of her attackers with a baseball bat and managed to call police, Longoria
said.
The trio scattered when officers arrived on the scene and led authorities on a
brief chase before bailing out of their vehicle near the intersection of
Expressway 83 and Los Ebanos Road.
The alleged car thief managed to steal the police vehicle while one of the
pursuing officers attempted to follow the group on foot.
Investigators believe the trio staked out the home they eventually targeted for
hours, looking for targets that might offer cash or valuable property.
“They were just driving around looking for an easy home to break into,” Longoria
said. “But the alarming thing is that these people went beyond going in and
ripping the family off. They assaulted and tied up their victims.”
By late Monday evening, all three suspects were in custody. Officers have not
yet released their identities, pending an arraignment hearing scheduled for this
afternoon.