SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio police are investigating what may have been a robbery after they found a man with zip ties on his wrists at a West Side motel.
They say a worker at the Econo Lodge, located near SW Loop 410 and Marbach Road, called them before 9:30 a.m. Friday.
She told them a man had walked into the front office with zip ties on his hands.
Police say the 28-year-old, who spoke only Spanish, told them he had been robbed by some other men who took off in a white SUV.
It was not clear right away what, if anything, was taken from the victim.
While officers were still at the scene, a vehicle matching the description of the one involved pulled into the parking lot, then left once the driver noticed police.
Officers were able to chase after the SUV and caught up with it after it spun out a few miles away, on Medina Base Road near SW Loop 410.
They took two people, ages 17 and 18, into custody.
Police say one of them had a gun.
At the motel, officers found two other men, still asleep inside the room where the victim said he was tied up.
Police were not sure right away how those men in the room were connected to the case, nor did they know how the victim was able to escape.
They say they are still investigating several scenarios, including the possibility that this incident somehow may be connected to human smuggling.