SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Police Department is investigating a string of robberies that plagued the Northwest Side last week, leaving one victim with anxiety and fear.
SAPD said Monday no arrests have been made in the cases yet.
One of the victims, Daniel Galvan III, said the scene is still playing out in his head five days later.
“I tried to drive this morning. I did one ride, and I couldn’t take it. I came back home and started crying,” Galvan said.
Galvan has supported his family by driving for Lyft, a rideshare app, for the last year and a half. It’s a job he felt safe at until last Wednesday when he said three men held him at gunpoint as he waited for his passenger to get to his vehicle.
“With their guns, with their weapons. And the laser, one has a laser, like, pointing on my head, and the other one is telling me, ‘Get out, get out,” Galvan said, remembering the incident.
Galvan took off from the Budget Suites with his passenger still on the phone and drove to the gas station across the street.
“I feel like I made the right decision in just driving off. Whether they were gonna hurt me or not, I felt more safer in my car than actually getting off,” he said.
The same night as Galvan’s aggravated robbery attempt, police say there were three other robberies in the same area involving three men.
All were reported around 4 a.m. Wednesday around the Medical Center area.
One victim told police he was in his car in the 4100 block of Medical Drive when the men told him to give them everything he had.
A few minutes later, police received another call for a robbery in the 9900 block of 1-10 West, near Wurzbach Road. This time, the men got the victim’s car.
A third robbery was reported on 1-10 West closer to DeZavala Road.
Although Galvan said his encounter with the suspects only lasted seconds, its effects are still lingering.
“Maybe one day I feel like my happiness may come back. It’s just -- I feel like I’m not the same person ever since then,” Galvan said.
For victims like Galvan, SAPD has victim advocacy services available like violence prevention and crisis intervention counseling. More details are available here.