Thieves break into cars outside gun store

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- While customers were inside a Katy gun shop, they were the target of thieves outside of it -- and it was all caught on camera.

The store says the thieves were looking for guns Friday. But instead of buying them, they broke into cars parked outside of Tactical Firearms on South Mason Road. They may have thought they made a clean getaway, but now authorities have evidence that could help catch the criminals.

"So you've got the lookout vehicle pulling into the parking lot right now," Tactical Firearms owner Jeremy Alcede said, as surveillance video showing the parking lot rolls.

And not too far behind was a silver Nissan Altima with a suspected car burglar inside. The Ford Edge backs into a spot, allowing him to be on the lookout. The Altima starts scoping cars to burglarize.

First is a Ford pickup, but when he gets out and peeps through the window, there's nothing to steal. Eventually, a Toyota truck is broken into. Two guns are stolen from the back seat.

And the suspect is not done. He also shatters the window of a Suburban, stealing a briefcase.

Alcede says gun stores are under fire.

"I called AJC, since they are right down the road, advised them. That's when they told us that they were broken into already. And so we since then notified all the other gun stores to keep an eye out for these vehicles," Alcede said.

And they can also keep an eye out for the man in the white Ford Edge. He served as lookout. He actually walked inside, asked a question and left with a brochure. His polo hat and shirt are plain as day.

Alcede says gun stores seem like easy lifting for thieves.

"It's a target-rich environment. You know, if you come to a gun store, you're either coming to shoot or buy a gun," he said.

Now he's hoping someone recognizes the Ford Edge with Florida plates 702-LAI and the Altima with a Texas-style license plates.

As for the thieves, Alcede wouldn't advise them to return.

"If they come back it's going to end up differently," he said.

The Harris County Sheriff's Office is now on the lookout for the truck. And of course investigators would love to know who this man is our guy in the lookout vehicle who had to walk in the store.

(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

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Winter break ends tragically for Montgomery County family

  MONTGOMERY COUNTY, TX (KTRK) -- The winter break has ended tragically for one Montgomery County family.

A 3-year-old girl is dead. Her 12-year-old brother was supposed to be watching her when she was hit and killed Monday afternoon. And the person who hit her is 21 years old. She didn't know what had happened until it was all over.

It happened around 4pm. State troopers tell us the girl was playing in a ditch on the side of the road along East Legends Trail in southeast Montgomery County when she darted out in front of an SUV.

The SUV had just made a turn after stopping at a stop sign. The driver never saw the girl and authorities believe she was obscured because of where she was playing.

"It's approximately a 3-and-a-half foot deep ditch," said Cpl. Michael Chapman with the Department of Public Safety. "The point where we were able to find footprints from the child, it was 2-and-a-half feet deep, so really it's hard to say the child was visible from the road or stop sign or anything like that."

Eyewitnesses told authorities the brother was outside at the time of the accident. And that's exactly what they think this was -- an accident, and not a crime, although, as is standard, they will refer the case to a Montgomery County grand jury so jurors can make the final decision.

(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

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Water main break leaves family with mess on Christmas

PASADENA, TX (KTRK) -- Well we may not have had a white Christmas, but one Pasadena family certainly had a wet one. A water main break on Zapp Lane near Austin sent a towering geyser of water on top of the family's home.

It had all the elements for a near disaster. A water main broke late on a weekend night and on a Christmas night, so no one was answering at Pasadena Public Works department. It took nearly six hours for the gusher to be tapped.

The day after Christmas at the Rocha household was filled with unexpected cleaning after the couple was rousted from bed by what they said sounded like a natural disaster.

"With the front door opened, I couldn't see anything, the water was coming down so thick," Eddie Rocha said.

A water-filled pit in front of their home is the aftermath of a geyser. For about six hours, a giant water main break had been directed at their house.

The Rochas snapped some photos as they waited for help from city officials. Eddie's wife, Terry Rocha, said they called the Pasadena Police Department several times.

"The third time, he said I told you not to panic so they hung up, so the fourth time I called, they said ma'am this is not a matter of life and death," Terry Rocha said.

The main was repaired around dawn, but the cleanup of the mud continued into the morning.

The Rocha's home appeared in tack and there was no serious damage. Terry Rocha's nerves, though, are another story.

"It was just horrible. I'd never seen anything like this before," she said.

Terry Rocha is a volunteer for the city and its police department, so even though she didn't want to ask for special treatment, she was still surprised by the city's reaction and she and Eddie wish the city could reassess how it deals with its residents.

"To pay more attention to folks that might be in distress," Eddie Rocha said.

(Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
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