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Another suspected car burglar shot by vehicle owner; 3rd in past 2 weeks

Suspect died from his wounds

SAN ANTONIO – For the third time within two weeks, a person suspected of breaking into a vehicle in San Antonio has been shot and killed by the owner.

The most recent incident happened around 2 a.m. Monday at an apartment complex in the 13900 block of Babcock Road, just a few miles from the main campus of the University of Texas San Antonio.

According to a preliminary report from San Antonio police, a 26-year-old car owner told officers he shot a man who he found inside his vehicle.

He said he heard glass break outside his apartment, then confronted the other man who he believed was armed with a gun.

The car owner fired shots, killing the suspected car burglar, the report said.

Investigators questioned the car owner, but he is not facing charges at this time.

This is the third case of this kind in the last two weeks.

On February 27, a Northeast side homeowner also shot a suspected car burglar, sending him to a hospital.

That man, who wanted to remain anonymous, spoke to KSAT 12 News that day, saying he fired at the suspect after he felt threatened.

He said security cameras outside his home on Caribou Creek alerted him to someone in his driveway.

“That’s when I saw a guy with a red hoodie inside on of my vehicles,” the car owner said. “So, I grabbed my firearm that I keep next to my bed.”

The homeowner says once he walked outside, he faced a life-or-death decision. He believed that man also was armed. “In the pitch black, he was advancing me with what looked like he had a weapon in his hands. At that point, I felt like I was protecting myself,” he said. “I wasn’t trying to take someone’s life for personal property.”

Yet another case on March 5 also resulted in a suspect being shot and killed.

The owner of a truck told police he fired at a man who was attempting to drive off in his truck in the middle of the night.

The suspect ran after being wounded, leaving a trail of blood throughout the apartment complex, located in the 8200 block of Micron Drive.

Police found Juan Castaneda, 37, lying on a walkway. He died from his wounds.

All three shootings come at a time when car burglaries and car thefts are showing no sign of slowing down.

SAPD figures show there were 21,488 vehicles burglarized last year, and 19,563 vehicles stolen.

Since January, there have been 3,039 car break-ins, and 2,673 auto thefts reported.

At this time, no charges have been filed against any of the car owners involved in the shootings.

Police say the cases all remain under investigation.


About the Authors
Katrina Webber headshot

Katrina Webber joined KSAT 12 in December 2009. She reports for Good Morning San Antonio. Katrina was born and raised in Queens, NY, but after living in Gulf Coast states for the past decade, she feels right at home in Texas. It's not unusual to find her singing karaoke or leading a song with her church choir when she's not on-air.

Santiago Esparza headshot

Santiago Esparza is a photojournalist at KSAT 12.

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