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.

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

local, samica knight

View the original article here

Three UH students robbed in one week

  Pooja LodhiaHOUSTON (KTRK) -- The University of Houston says it is beefing up security after three students were either robbed, or nearly robbed, in one week.

The university is now putting together a task force to deal with these robberies. The UH police chief has promoted 10 people within the department and on Monday, he will be posting a position for a crime prevention officer.

In the meantime, many students are very scared. They're walking in groups. We talked to one girl who has started carrying mace.

The latest incident happened at an off-campus parking lot Thursday night. Police say a student was walking to his car when a man approached him with a gun. According to police, the student told the man he didn't have any money and then tried to get the gun from the suspect.

Police say the suspect responded by hitting the student in the jaw, getting into his car, and driving off.

Two other armed robberies were reported on campus on Sunday and Wednesday. They both happened in broad daylight. Nobody was hurt, but police say the suspects got away with money both times.

Many students wonder if extra security will even help keep them safe.

"I don't think they can be everywhere at once. I think they're doing a pretty good job right now, but it's just scary that people are robbing people in broad daylight. It's kind of a bad neighborhood surrounding the school, so I don't really feel safe on campus," said student Christine Lado.

"These guys aren't just waiting, like oh there's a cop there we can still do it. They wait until they're gone. So you can hire as many as you want, but I think it can still happen," student Ryan Techmanski said.

Right now, authorities don't believe the three crimes are connected.

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

university of houston, local

View the original article here

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.

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

local

View the original article here

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).

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

richmond, crime tracker

View the original article here

Stripper accused of setting up man to be robbed

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A man says an exotic dancer he met at a strip club set him up to be robbed. Now she's facing charges.

The victim told Houston police that he had developed a relationship with an exotic dancer who worked at the Glamour Girls strip club. He said, according to court documents, that he had been texting with the woman, and met her at her apartment complex on at least one occasion before.

On July 20, the man says he was sitting in his car at the back of the woman's apartment complex when he was surprised by two men. The man told police one man pointed a rifle at him through his driver's side window, demanded his cash and watch and then made him take off his pants. The second man then hit the victim in the head with a wrench and punched him in the mouth, court documents state. The victim told police that the dancer he was acquainted with then got in a pickup with the two men and fled the scene with his belongings.

Amber Garcia, 24, was identified by the victim through a police photo lineup. Garcia is charged with aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon. Bail in the felony case has been set at $30,000.

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

local

View the original article here

FBI searching for men who robbed bank inside Walmart

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- The FBI needs your help finding two bank robbers.

New surveillance pictures have been released of the robbery suspects from the Woodforest Bank inside a Walmart on Tomball Parkway near Antoine.

Investigators say the men entered the bank Wednesday morning and threatened the teller. They left with some cash, and no one was hurt.

Crime Stoppers will pay up to $5,000 for any information called in to the 713-222-TIPS (8477) or submitted online at http://www.crime-stoppers.org/ that leads to the filing of felony charges or arrest of the suspect(s) in this case. Tips can also be sent by text message. Text TIP610 plus your tip to CRIMES (274637). All tipsters remain anonymous.

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

crime tracker

View the original article here

Guard robbed of gun outside SE Houston game room

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- There were some frightening moments for a security guard in southeast Houston early this morning when he was attacked while taking a smoke break.

It happened outside a game room on Broadway near the South Loop. Police say the security guard was ambushed by several people. They took his gun and fired two shots at him, but missed. The group took off with the gun.

Authorities are still looking for the two men and that security guard's gun.

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

local

View the original article here

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.

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

bellaire, local, andy cerota
// perform JavaScript after the document is scriptable.OTV.common.modules.promoCarousel.promoCarouselInit("/ktrk/xml?id=5758258&ptnr=promoCarousel");

(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");

View the original article here

Man robbed, shot while moving into new home

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Two suspects are at large after a robbery and shooting near downtown Houston, and police believe the same men are responsible for at least one other robbery in the area.

According to investigators, the shooting victim was moving into a rental home on Brooks St. at Gano St.

He was in the process of moving in around 6:30am Sunday when two men jumped out of a truck to rob him.

The suspects shot the man once in the chest, and then fled, police said. The victim's landlord heard the gun fire and called 9-1-1.

Emergency officials transported the man to an area hospital. His condition is unknown.

Police said they are still looking for the suspects.

Investigators believe the suspects in this case may also be responsible for another robbery that happened nearby.

Anyone with information is urged to call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.

(Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

local

View the original article here

Armored car robbed at credit union

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Houston police and the FBI are investigating an armored car robbery in the Spring Branch area.

At about 9:30am, police say a Brinks armored car was robbed at First Community Credit Union in the 9100 block of Westview at Campbell. The 911 caller said they thought they heard gunshots, but that has not been confirmed.

The armed suspects fled in a green dually pickup truck. There's no word on how much money may have been taken, or if anyone was hurt.

The credit union remains open for business. The FBI is investigating.

(Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

local

View the original article here