UPS delivery driver robbed of packages at gunpoint

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- December is a hectic time for the UPS, delivering Christmas presents all over the country. And now, sadly they've become targets for Grinches armed with guns.

Authorities are searching for a gunman who held up a UPS delivery man and demanded packages. He may as well have been swiping people's presents from right under the Christmas tree. It happened Thursday morning in the Spring-Cypress area.

With the holiday season at hand, UPS drivers have their hands and brown trucks full, and UPS tells Eyewitness News that on Thursday morning an armed robber saw a target.

According to UPS, one of its delivery drivers was working in the Spring-Cypress area when he was approached by an armed gunman who robbed the delivery truck. UPS says the suspect was able to get away with the packages.

"He ought to be ashamed of himself because he has deprived someone else from receiving what they were supposed to receive," said resident Ruben Braziel.

Another neighbor hopes those stolen boxes were not meant for her address, and says she hopes the crime won't steal the joy out of someone's Christmas.

"Very, very sad that they would do that, and not have the consideration for the person that not only who bought them, but the person that is going to receive them," Patti said.

UPS says the driver was not hurt and returned to work shortly after the incident.

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UH student robbed at gunpoint near campus

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- University of Houston police are searching for two men who robbed a student at gunpoint Sunday.

The incident was reported to university police around 2pm. According to officials, two men in a car drove up to a UH student while he was walking west in the 3800 block of Holman Street near Scott Street.

The driver brandished a handgun and demanded the student's cell phone and other property, police said.

Investigators said the victim did what the robbers asked and the suspects reportedly fled the scene, headed eastbound on Holman toward Cullen Boulevard.

The University of Houston student was not injured.

The suspects are described as two black men in their late 20s to 30s with light skin, medium builds and short, curly hair. They were in a dark-colored sedan and were armed with a black, semi-automatic handgun.

Anyone with information on this incident is urged to call police at 713-743-3333

Officials are also reminding students to take safety precautions. They suggest you stay alert, avoid walking alone, be cautious when approached by strangers, pay attention to details and remain as calm as possible.

The University has more than 70 emergency call boxes placed strategically around campus. Calls from those boxes go directly to the UHDPS Dispatch Center. If you aren't near a call box, report the incident immediately by calling 713-743-3333 or 911. If a vehicle is involved, try to note the vehicle's license plate number or the vehicle's manufacturer, model and color or any other identifying features.

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Richmond woman robbed at gunpoint in her own home

  RICHMOND, TX (KTRK) -- Officials are looking for three people who robbed a woman at gunpoint in her own home.

The 73-year-old Richmond woman was robbed at her home in the 1200 block of Alamo around 6pm Thursday. The victim and her husband own a jewelry business in Houston and police say at times the victim will sell jewelry to friends and family out of her residence.

A woman and two men knocked on the victim's door and told her they were sent by a friend to look at some jewelry. When the unsuspecting victim let the individuals into her house, one of the male suspects pulled out a gun and demanded all of the victim's jewelry. She complied and gave them all of the jewelry she was wearing. Police say the suspects then locked the victim in a bathroom and searched the home for more items. The suspects ended up leaving with several thousands of dollars worth of jewelry. The victim was not injured during the robbery.

The female suspect was described as Hispanic, approximately 35 years old, 5'3" tall, with a heavy build, blonde hair in a ponytail, wearing gray capri pants and carrying a brown purse with alligator print. The first male suspect was described as Hispanic, approximately 30 years old, 170 to 185 pounds, 5'6" to 5'7" tall with short black hair wearing blue jeans and a white t-shirt. The second male suspect was described as Hispanic, approximately 22 years old, 5'3" tall, heavyset, with short black hair, wearing a red t-shirt and blue jeans.

The first male suspect was the one with the gun, described as possibly a black semi-automatic pistol. The suspects were driving an older model gray passenger car.

Detectives are requesting anyone with identifying details on the suspects or circumstances surrounding this incident to please contact the Richmond Police Department at 281-342-2849 or Fort Bend County Crime Stoppers at 281-342-TIPS (8477).

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Homeowner, her boss sitting in taxi in driveway robbed at gunpoint

BELLAIRE, TX (KTRK) -- A simple cab ride home turned into a terrifying experience for a man and a woman. Little did they know, they would be cornered by criminals and become the victims in a violent driveway robbery.

It happened Wednesday night at a home along Phil and Baldwin in the city of Bellaire.

Police don't believe the victims were necessarily followed home from the restaurant where they were having dinner. One of the victims has quite a story to tell.

Veronica Nasser's night out at a Bellaire restaurant with family, friends and a visiting colleague started out like any other.

"Dinner was delicious; you can usually count on that," said Nasser.

But the evening would soon end in a way she never imagined. Nasser and her boss left in a cab and after a slight detour they headed towards her Bellaire home. As the taxi pulled into the driveway...

"I'm hearing the gunshots and I'm just -- you just don't know what's going on," Nasser said.

It was almost too hard to believe -- their cab driver had just been shot. Nasser, her boss and the wounded driver were then robbed. The two suspects had blocked in the taxi with their car.

The male suspect, who was armed, was standing on the driver's side. The female suspect was on the passenger side. She slid open the cab door and demanded everyone's money.

"There was a lot of yelling, 'I know you have money! Let me have your purse!' There was a lot of screaming and yelling," Nasser recalled.

Nasser's husband, who had left the restaurant early, was already home and heard the commotion.

"So we all come down and by that time, Veronica and Cam and the cab driver, they were helping the cab driver in the house, banging on the door. It had just happened," said Peter Nasser.

The suspects made a quick getaway in a gray Nissan with blacked-out windows. The two suspects are still on the loose.

The bullet that hit the cab driver had actually grazed his leg.

"We were fortunate that nothing worse came out of it, but as Peter said it would be nice for them to be caught and hopefully this won't happen again to other people," Nasser said.

She added that someone used one of her stolen credit cards at a gas station on Richmond less than an hour after her purse was stolen.

The cab driver was treated and released from the hospital.

We worked on this story with help from our friends at Houston Community Newspapers. You can read more in the Bellaire Examiner.

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Woman carjacked at gunpoint in her garage

  LEAGUE CITY, TX (KTRK) -- A League City woman was carjacked at gunpoint in her own garage.

League City police say the 35-year-old woman had pulled into her garage on Driftwood Street around 1:30am Thursday when a man with a gun walked up and demanded her keys.

He then stole her Chevrolet Avalanche. It was found about two hours later, but the man was gone.

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Two women arrested at gunpoint following chase

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A 16-mile police chase that began in southwest Houston Tuesday came to a dramatic end as officers with guns drawn surrounded the vehicle, after a pickup blocked the driver's way.

Authorities started pursuing the suspects at about 3:30pm in the area of W. Bellfort and Gessner following a shooting during a domestic dispute at an apartment complex on Airport Road. A driver in a black sedan led police onto eastbound lanes of Beltway at speeds between 85 and 95mph. The suspects' vehicle then did a U-turn and went westbound for several miles.

The driver stayed on the feeder road before doing another U-turn, going eastbound along the Beltway 8 feeder. A set of spikes were thrown out for a third time, and the suspects' vehicle hit them, slow downing the car down.

But it was just before 4pm that a red pickup truck blocked the car and helped bring the chase to an end on the eastbound lanes of the Beltway near Telephone Road.

"I was kinda of scared because he probably would shoot 'cause he had dark-tinted windows, I couldn't see who was there," said 19-year-old Hugo Vargas, the driver of the red pickup truck.

Officers immediately surrounded the black sedan with guns drawn. A female passenger exited the car and ordered to the ground before she was cuffed. The driver, who is also a woman, was then pulled out of the car as well and handcuffed.

The driver, who identified herself to Eyewitness News as Mechelle Murillo, is claiming she didn't know police were chasing her.

"Initially, when they first got behind me, it was around me and he circled around. I didn't know they was coming for me, so I turned down the street -- I U-turned down going toward the Beltway," she told Eyewitness News. "Then all of the sudden, I see a bunch of police officers behind me ... and I'm like what the hell?"

Police also thanked Vargas for his help.

"He said, 'Are you scared?' I was like 'Yes I'm scared. Too many guns around me.' He said 'Thanks for everything. We were following them for 15 miles back,' and I was like oh OK," Vargas said.

Both women were taken into custody without further incident as officers searched the vehicle. Brown paper bags were placed on their hands to preserve any possible evidence of gunpowder residue.

"Right now, we're looking for a weapon that may or may have not been thrown from the vehicle. We're actually waiting for the crime scene investigators to come out here to do the trace metal on the hands. We're also going to take the vehicle down to have it check out," one officer at the scene said.

A weapon still hasn't been found.

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