AUSTIN, Texas — The Austin Police Department (APD) has arrested three adults and one juvenile in connection to a series of recent aggravated robberies, including one incident at The Domain on June 14.
APD reported that a total of 11 robberies happened from June 11 to June 14. The department said it is also investigating the theft of a vehicle on June 11, which could be connected to the robberies.
The three adults were identified as Jaylyn Reed, 17, Paul Rossum, 18, and Andre Harris, 18. The juvenile was not identified.
APD said at least nine of the robberies were committed during the day. One suspect would exit the car and enter a busy area while the others in the care would also identify potential targets. Once a person was identified, the suspects approached them, pointed a handgun and demanded their belongings. In several cases, APD said victims suffered head injuries after being "pistol-whipped" by the suspects.
On Tuesday, June 21, police announced Reed is now allegedly connected to a June 7 robbery and shooting. He received charges of aggravated robbery and assault with a deadly weapon for allegedly robbing a man at Garden Path Apartments on Gessner Drive and then shooting at a truck while crossing East Anderson Lane.
An affidavit in the aggravated robbery at The Domain reported the incident happened in a similar manner as the others, with victims robbed at gunpoint. One of the victims reportedly shot the alleged thief in a North Austin parking lot, according to an affidavit.
Two victims said they were walking through a Neiman Marcus parking lot at 3400 Palm Way at The Domain when the suspect approached them from behind. The suspect, later identified as Jaylyn Reed, reportedly ordered the victims to hand over their property while pointing a gun at them from just above his hip.
Out of fear of being shot, the victims complied. They said the suspect then began to climb into a vehicle that had pulled up behind him. One victim approached the subject, saying he again pointed his gun at her and told her to "watch out."
One victim, who believed the suspect planned to shoot the other, pulled out his concealed firearm and shot the suspect at least once in an attempt to protect her. The affidavit reports the victim didn't use the pistol earlier because he thought the suspect would have shot him.
The suspect's vehicle drove away from the scene, and its occupants called the police regarding the suspect's injuries, police said. An officer reported to the scene and delivered lifesaving medical aid to Reed, who sustained a life-threatening gunshot wound and was taken to a hospital.
The affidavit did not provide further details on Reed's condition.
Several handguns and stolen property were found at the scene and seized from the suspects. Reed, Rossum and Harris are being held at the Travis County Jail. The juvenile suspect is in the Gardner-Betts Juvenile Justice Center. All four of them are charged with aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon. APD said the investigation is ongoing and that additional charges for all suspects are pending.
Less than an hour before the robbery at The Domain that led to their arrest, the group reportedly committed another aggravated robbery at 1012 Reinli St. Surveillance video caught Reed standing outside of the location until a victim walked nearby. Reed followed the man, pulled out a handgun and hit the victim several times before robbing him. A stolen silver Chevy Malibu, also used in several previous robberies, was used as a getaway car.
Reed, born in 2005, has an extensive criminal history of alleged aggravated robbery, the affidavit reports. He is the suspect in not only the June 14 robbery but in several adjudicated thefts over the past few weeks. APD said Reed was also involved in several auto thefts in May 2021. Rossum, also a known robbery suspect, was an accomplice of Reed. Harris was not connected to the 2021 incidents but is a suspect in the robbery that happened on June 14.
Reed, who was previously arrested for multiple aggravated robberies, was released from juvenile custody on May 27 with an ankle monitor. Two days later, he cut off his ankle monitor and began a series of nine armed robberies in five days, APD said.
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