AUSTIN, Texas — Austin police say they’ve arrested six people responsible for nine aggravated robberies in the Austin area, all under the age of 18.
The robberies began on Saturday, March 4, at 8:30 p.m. Two hours later, they had moved from southeast Austin to Central East Austin. There were more robberies the next night.
Police say there are 22 victims, and shots were fired in several of the incidents.
One person was shot and is now in stable condition.
According to the Austin Police Department, on Monday, March 6, officers located one of the suspect vehicles from surveillance video. APD said the vehicle was stolen and officers attempted a traffic stop, but the driver kept going and would not stop.
Two people reportedly got out of the car around Montopolis Drive and Fairway Street. Officers arrested one of these suspects and located clothing and property seen on surveillance at one of the robberies. Officers also detained and arrested the driver of the stolen vehicle.
Later that day, another stolen vehicle used in the robberies was located, police said. Officers observed one of the suspects enter two stolen vehicles – one that had been used as a getaway car and another that was stolen during one of the robberies. Officers arrested the suspect and three others who were riding in those vehicles. Police said stolen property was located within the vehicle.
A search warrant executed at the residence of one of the suspects turned up stolen property and clothing worn in the robberies, according to APD.
One suspect has been charged with participating in all of the robberies, while the other five suspects face charges including unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, evading arrest and criminal trespass in a motor vehicle.
Police said some of the suspects were found to have conditions of release through the Juvenile Court system for prior offenses. The investigation is ongoing, and additional charges are expected.
“The APD Robbery Unit wants to remind the community to be aware of their surroundings,” Austin police said in a statement. “It should also be noted that quality surveillance systems paired with cooperative business owners assisted in identifying these suspects quickly, which prevented further violence. We would like to thank the community members that provided surveillance footage or witness statements.”
Anyone with any information on the robberies is asked to contact police at 512-974-5092 or contact Crime Stoppers anonymously at 512-472-8477.