HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A man was shot in killed outside an apartment complex in north Houston. Police say the victim was talking to two other people on Northchase near Greens Road Monday night. A group of men approached them and got into a brief argument. One of the men then shot the victim.
The victim died at the scene and the shooter ran off. Police suspect robbery may be the motive for the crime.
(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local » HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Houston police have released surveillance video to help identify one of two suspects wanted for the robbery and stabbing of a man at a Midtown bank in October. According to police, the male victim, 46, was picked up by the suspect and a driver (second suspect) and taken to an ATM at the Wells Fargo Bank at 2714 Smith Street about 6:30am on October 10. Houston police say the suspect threatened the victim with a knife and forced him to withdraw funds from the ATM.
When the victim did not withdraw funds, police say the suspect attempted to take the victim's wallet, at which point a struggle ensued and the suspect stabbed the victim multiple times. Witnesses overheard the suspect yelling that he was going to kill the victim. After stabbing the victim, the suspect fled in the waiting Marquis and fled in an unknown direction.
The victim was left in the bank's drive-through lanes. He was transported by paramedics to Memorial Hermann Hospital and treated for his severe wounds.
The suspects are described only as two black males. One is described as approximately 5 feet 7 inches tall, 20 to 30 years of age and weighing about 150 to 160 pounds. This suspect is depicted in the surveillance video to the left of the victim. The suspect were seen driving in a four-door, 90s model, possibly gold Mercury Grand Marquis.
Anyone with information in this case is urged to contact the HPD Central Patrol Investigative First Responder Unit at 713-247-4400 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.
Crime Stoppers will pay up to $5,000 for any information called in to the 713-222-TIPS (8477) or submitted online at 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 » HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Citizens fed up with crime took the law into their own hands Sunday and chased a vehicle involved in a Harris County hit-and-run crash. They followed the car to an H-E-B on F.M. 2920 in north Harris County.
Robert Neinast says he saw the car rear-end a truck. He said the driver sped away even though the car's hood had popped open and smoke was coming from the engine.
Neinast and several other drivers chased the car to the grocery store.
Police eventually arrested three people in the car.
Neinast, who was once a volunteer firefighter, says he felt he had to help the public.
"They were also endangering other people going down 2920," Neinast said. "People were getting out of their way because, like I said, the hood was up.The guy was looking through about that much of the windshield trying to drive."
Authorities suspect the two men and one woman in the car were involved in the robberies of a Radio Shack and that same H-E-B store earlier in the day.
(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »
RICHMOND, TX -- A Houston-area man, his daughter and his son have been indicted over a credit union robbery by armed thieves in disguises. Fort Bend County records show 50-year-old Ronald Catt, 20-year-old Hayden Catt and 18-year-old Abigail Catt were being held Friday on aggravated robbery charges. The men were jailed on bond of $140,000 apiece. The daughter's bond is $100,000.
Online jail records don't list attorneys for the Catts, who were arrested Nov. 9 and indicted Monday.
First Community Credit Union in the Katy area was robbed by two gunmen wearing orange traffic vests and sunglasses. One man had a fake moustache. The other wore a painter's mask. Abigail Catt allegedly drove the getaway vehicle.
Investigators are reviewing similar robberies in Texas and the Portland, Ore., area, where the Catts formerly lived.
(Copyright ©2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »Workers at this auto shop told us when they saw the thieves driving back through the area minutes after the crime they had to act fast. The workers tried chasing the crooks down and shots were fired.
It's back to business as usual at Riley's Performance and Auto in Grangerland. But workers here say Tuesday was anything but ordinary when the driver of a silver Pontiac Sunfire walked in.
"He never would look me in the eye. He had a cap on, and he was just always looking down," said Jared Riley.
He says the man approached him trying to sell some old tools outside. On surveillance video, you can see his female passenger petting the auto shop's dogs as a theft is going down inside.
"We found the money box over on the couch, open, sprawled out everywhere and I'm the only person who has the key to it," Jared said.
The workers say the man pried open the cash box while they were distracted taking some cash and two check books.
"It's getting worse and worse and worse. The business owners around here are getting hit left and right," said John Riley.
John was returning from an errand as the man and woman drove off. His staff alerted him about the robbery and they quickly called 911.
"While we were on the phone with the sheriff's department, the guy drove right past here, and looks straight at Tim and looked straight back," John said.
He says they watched the alleged crooks drive to a nearby gas station and hopped in their own cars to chase after them.
"He immediately did a 180 in the car and took off. I turned my car sideways trying to block him and told him to freeze and he decided he didn't want to freeze," said John.
The driver tried running him over as he sped off, John says, so he fired his pistol at the car. Now Montgomery County sheriff's detectives are investigating.
The workers here say detectives told them deputies were able to track down and seize the getaway car. The investigation into the alleged suspects and the shop owner's actions are still ongoing.
(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local » HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Authorities are searching for two male suspects responsible for a robbery at an area Walmart Supercenter. The suspects fled the scene with thousands of dollars in stolen cash. On September 23, Harris County Sheriff's Office deputies were dispatched to the retailer in the 15900 block of FM 529 in northwest Harris County. Deputies say a female victim had just finished emptying a cash register as an unidentified black male approached her from behind. The male suspect shoved the victim and took the bag of cash.
A second black male suspect acted as a lookout during the course of the offense. Both suspects fled the scene on foot.
The first suspect is described as a black male with a thin build. At the time of the incident, he wore a white baseball cap, black t-shirt and tan shorts.
The second suspect is described as a black male wearing a dark colored baseball cap, a black t-shirt and blue jeans.
Anyone with information about the identity of the suspects is asked to contact Crime Stoppers of Houston at 713-222-TIPS (8477).
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 »Eyewitnesses say the robbers were in and out of the store within two minutes. The video of the robbery was just released, and investigators hope someone will recognize the suspects.
The crooks hit a Zales Outlet Store on the Grand Parkway near Bellaire Boulevard last Saturday afternoon.
The store is back up and running, but last Saturday, yellow tape surrounded the store and inside, investigators were collecting evidence and surveying the damage.
Surveillance video released by the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office helps tell the story. A male employee is forced to the floor and stays quiet against the wall during the crime while three masked men tear through the display cases. One leaps over the case as the robbery gets underway while another points a gun at a female employee.
In the next few seconds, all three men, each armed with a pick ax, rip open the backs of the display cases and begin pouring jewelry into black bags. Eyewitnesses say the men went straight for the diamonds and seemed to know exactly where to go inside the store.
And while it likely seemed like a lifetime for employees inside, the men were done in minutes after raking five cases clean and running off with thousands of dollars in jewelry thrown into black bags.
But it's not just surveillance video investigators are taking a close look at. As the thieves ran from the store, a savvy eyewitness saw the masked men jump into a gold-colored Chrysler 300. He took a picture as they sped away and sent it to detectives.
Information that leads detectives to the suspects involved could earn a reward of up to $5,000. Call Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office at 281-341-4665, Fort Bend Crime Stoppers, Inc. at 281-342-TIPS (8477) or text plus the tip to CRIMES (274637). Tips also can be submitted online at www.fortbend-tx-crimestoppers.org.
(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »
The 23-year-old victim died en route to the hospital. HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A possible attempted robbery may have led to another deadly stabbing in southwest Houston. The victim was found on Beechnut near South Gessner.
The investigation into exactly what happened is still ongoing. The 23-year-old victim was taken to the hospital after authorities arrived but they say he died on the way there.
So far no word on any possible suspects.
(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »Authorities are searching for the group of men who barged in and ransacked the couple's home.
Neighbors told us the couple who lives in the house in the 19800 block of Summerset Way near Fry Road is still very overwhelmed after that home invasion back here.
Investigators say it was just after 11am Thursday when five strange men approached the residence in the Estates at Green Trails. They say four of those men made their way into the home and tied up the couple inside. Both those victims are in their 70s.
Neighbors tell us the husband is ill and his wife tried her best to fight off the attackers. We're told those burglars took an assault rifle, and antique handgun and some cash before running off.
"We are all in shock right now because it is a quiet neighborhood. Nothing like this happens in our neighborhood and I'd gotten a message at work that this had happened and I just couldn't believe it. I worried about the neighbors that this happened to because they're an older couple and you just worry about their health," said neighbor Susan Brouchas.
Investigators say the female victim had to be taken to the hospital to be checked out.
As for the five suspects, deputies say they left the area in a white SUV.
(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A man named 'Jesus Christ' is accused of using a gun to hold up a man during a robbery last weekend.
According to court documents, Jesus Christ Anthony Turner threatened a man with a firearm during a June 16 robbery. He was arrested on June 18.
Turner, 27, is charged with aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon. No bond has been set.
Court records show Turner has multiple prior convictions, including drugs, assault and evading arrest. He also was charged with burglary back on January 23.
(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Detectives have filed a capital murder charge against a man accused in the fatal shooting a tow truck driver during a 2008 robbery in southwest Houston. Police say Cesar Velasquez-Jaime acted as the getaway driver during a September 28, 2008 robbery that ended with the death of Mario Jove, a tow truck driver.
Detectives believe Velasquez-Jaime and Edgar Padron followed Jove from a tow yard to a an apartment complex in the 7000 block of Hillcroft with the intention of robbing him. The duo confronted Jove in the parking lot and started fighting over his digital camera and wallet.
According to court documents, Padron shot Jove four times and then hopped into a Ford Mustang driven by Cesar Velasquez-Jaime.
Witnesses later identified Velasquez-Jaime and Padron as the suspects.
Padron was charged with capital murder in June 2011. He is also awaiting trial on a separate capital murder charge for the fatal shooting of Saturnino Argueta during an attempted robbery on New Year's Eve in 2010. He was indicted in that case in April 2011.
(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Two days after a man robbed a crowded day care at gunpoint, that man is still on the loose, and members of the community are getting angry.
"Who has the heart to rob a day care center?" asked parent Sache Stephens.
That's the big question parents and staff at the Stay and Play Child Care Center are still asking two days after a gunman robbed this north side day care. Stephens saw the unidentified man just minutes before dropping off her 3-year-old son on Tuesday.
"I mean he was just walking, and you wouldn't think anything because you would think that he's just a normal person walking. I mean there's hospitals over here, just like these people are walking, you know you don't think anything," Stephens said.
On Thursday, a group of outraged parents, day care workers and activists gathered outside the Stay and Play, urging the community to help deputies arrest the gunman who barged into this center, which was packed with about 70 children at the time. The suspect specifically demanded a gray cashbox.
"He was about 5 foot 8, 5 foot 9, medium build, caramel colored. He had facial hair," said Betty McGirr, Stay and Play director.
Workers say the gunman was wearing shorts and a cap with a turquoise rim.
"This man is a low-down dirty skunk to come in and put a gun to women's heads in a nursery full of children," said community activist Quanell X.
He announced the New Black Panthers are offering a $1,000 reward to anyone who can help deputies arrest the robber.
"I'm angry, and I'm challenging the leadership of our community. If we're going to protest when we have problems with police, we should be so angry that the community feels the rage for where this man is," Quanell X said.
Parents say they just hope the robber doesn't try coming back.
"I mean, I want him to be caught. Like it's not fair!" Stephens said.
Anyone with information is urged to call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.
(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
The FBI is now involved in the search for three men who robbed an IBC Bank in the Montrose area
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- The FBI is now involved in the search for three men who robbed a Montrose-area bank. According to investigators, the three men armed with guns, robbed the IBC Bank at Montrose and Branard around 10am Wednesday. No shots were fired and right now it's unclear if the men actually got away with any money.
The suspects drove off in a beige Cutlass which had its license plates covered.
(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
One of the suspects is described as a black male, approximately 25 to 35 years old with a thin build. He had a distinctive tattoo of a leaf on the left side of his face. At the time of the crime, he wore a black shirt, black pants and a black ball cap. HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Police need your help to find two suspects who they say robbed a female victim at a Houston bus stop, and now they have a sketch of one of them. The alleged robbery happened at around 1pm on March 28. A female victim was waiting at the METRO bus stop near the 8600 block of Westheimer when police say she was approached by two unidentified males.
The first suspect grabbed her and held her hands behind her back, while the second held a knife to her face and threatened her if she screamed. Police say that second suspect then cut the strap of her purse and both suspects took off running into a nearby apartment complex.
The first suspect is described as a black male, approximately 25 to 35 years old. At the time of the crime, he wore a red shirt, red pants and a red baseball cap.
The second suspect is described as a black male, approximately 25 to 35 years old with a thin build. He had a distinctive tattoo of a leaf on the left side of his face. At the time of the crime, he wore a black shirt, black pants and a black ball cap.
The sketch above is of the second suspect in this case.
Anyone with information about his identity is asked to contact Crime Stoppers of Houston at (713) 222-TIPS (8477).
(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »
Shots rang out overnight at a northwest Harris County game room.
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Deputies are investigating an overnight robbery and shooting at a game room in northwest Harris County. Authorities were called around 1:20am to Jack's Place on Veterans Memorial near Fallbrook. They found an employee with a gunshot wound in the foot.
Witnesses say a group of up to five men entered the business, demanded money and fired their weapons. Several customers were inside. They were robbed as well.
A pending investigation will look into the business itself.
"Our vice division is handling whether it's illegal or a legal operation," said Sgt. David Hillborn with the Harris County Sheriff's Office.
The employee's injuries are considered non-life threatening. The suspects remain on the run.
(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) HOUSTON (KTRK) -- There was a deadly shooting last night at a southeast Houston Family Dollar Store. It happened at the store on Bellfort near Westover. According to investigators, two men waited until the store was about to close and ran inside wearing masks. Once inside, they reportedly held up a female clerk at gunpoint.
Investigators say during the robbery, the two men shot and killed that clerk. A male employee who was also inside at the time wasn't hurt.
"The cash register was in the open position," said Officer Javier Avila with the Houston Police Department. "How much money was taken or if any money was taken, we won't know until they conduct some type of inventory."
Investigators say the two masked men took off in a customer's car. They say the vehicle the men drove off in is a tan 2012 Toyota Camry with Louisiana license plates N23-8302.
Police are searching for those suspects right now. If you have any information on where they might be, you're asked to call police.
(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local » HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Two brothers have been charged in connection with assaulting and stealing money from one of their girlfriends.
On the night of May 6, court documents state Colin Vernon Smith asked his girlfriend where the cash was that she received from an auto accident settlement. She says when she told Colin Smith that he could not have the money, he became very angry, pushed her out of a chair, then grabbed her by the hair and slammed her head on the floor several times. The girlfriend alleges that he then hit her in the face twice.
After telling him that the money was in a dumpster in the hopes of getting him out of the Clear Lake area residence, she says Colin Smith called his brother, Justin Smith, who went to the dumpster to look for the strong box with the cash in it, but it was not there.
Investigators say Colin then told Justin to leave the residence, at which point Colin then hit his girlfriend and began to choke her. She says she finally relented and told him the money was in her child's toy box. She says Colin took the money and put it in a backpack.
According to court documents, the girlfriend says Justin, who police say was present when Colin took the month, told her he was sorry that his brother beat her up, but that he needed the money.
The girlfriend was treated at a hospital for a broken nose and other injuries, court documents show.
Colin Smith, 26, and Justin Smith, 24, are charged with aggravated robbery. No bond has been set in either case.
(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
SkyEye 13 HD was over the scene after a bank in Missouri City was robbed at gunpoint on Thursday
MISSOURI CITY, TX (KTRK) -- A bank in Missouri City was robbed at gunpoint on Thursday. It happened at the Unity National Bank on Lexington and Texas Parkway at around 10am this morning. Missouri City police say a man with a bandana covering most of his face walked up to a teller, pointed a gun and demanded money.
The teller gave the suspect an undisclosed amount of cash and he fled in an older blue Chevy Astrovan.
(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Robbery appears to be the motive for a shooting overnight in northwest Harris County.
A man was shot at the North Bend apartment complex on Cornerstone Village near Walters. Deputies say he was walking with his wife from their car when two gunmen approached them.
The suspects demanded money and one opened fire on the husband. He was taken to the hospital by Life Flight in serious condition.
The suspects remain on the run.
(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
Killrain Jarod Randolph is charged with theft in connection to a January jewelry store heist in which four suspects used sledgehammers to smash through the glass cases and steal the contents inside.
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Authorities have arrested one of four suspects wanted in connection to a January heist where suspects used sledgehammers to break through glass cases of a jewelry store in north Harris County. Killrain Jarod Randolph was arrested on a theft charge Thursday by members of the Gulf Coast Violent Offenders and Fugitives Task Force after investigators identified him through DNA evidence left at the scene, according to the Harris County Sheriff's Office. He is being held at the Harris County Jail.
Detectives say Randolph and three other suspects used sledgehammers to smash through the glass cases of the Zales Outlet store in the 5200 block of West FM 1960 on January 25 and took off with the jewelry.
Detectives are still working to identify the other three suspects.
Anyone with information about them is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 713-222-8477.
(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)