SAN ANTONIO – A dangerous crime wave that has resulted in the loss of more than just property for some of the victims appears to be sweeping through west Bexar County.
5 detained after car chase leads to fiery crash on West Side
According to the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, there has been an ongoing series of crimes there, which includes car burglaries, car chases, and even a shooting.
The latest crime began to unfold before 2 a.m. Wednesday in a neighborhood not far from Loop 1604 and Shaenfield Road.
A homeowner called 911 after noticing on his surveillance camera that a man armed with a gun was attempting to break into his vehicle parked in his driveway.
“My camera system made a sound, and the spotlight shone on them, and then they took off,” the homeowner told KSAT 12 News later that morning.
The man, who did not want to reveal his identity, said he was not home when the suspected criminals came calling in the middle of the night.
“It’s pretty scary,” the homeowner said. “With them being armed, yeah, it’s very dangerous because you never know what could happen.”
Deputies who responded to his call said they later had an encounter of their own with the suspects.
They said one of them pointed a gun at their patrol car and then led them on a chase.
The suspects’ reported run from the law ended, though, when their car crashed on Highway 90 near Military and caught fire.
Deputies took five people from that car into custody.
The neighborhood where this incident started, Wildhorse at Tausch Farms, is the same one where another car owner was shot and wounded in February. Sheriff Javier Salazar said that neighbor had confronted a car burglar.
Investigators later arrested John Salinas, 19, who they said had been bragging about the shooting.
Another chase involving deputies early Tuesday morning also came to an end with a crash in that area of the county.
Driver stunned with Taser weapon by deputies after trying to flee vehicle chase, crash, BCSO says
A report from BCSO shows the driver and two passengers from that car were taken to a hospital after they crashed into another vehicle.
No one in that other vehicle was hurt.
The report says the people who led deputies on the chase face charges related to mail theft.
“I don’t recommend confronting these individuals,” said the homeowner, whose surveillance cameras spotted the man with a gun in his driveway.
After what happened, he said he’ll continue keeping his distance from criminals and letting his cameras — or deputies — capture them.
In a statement, BCSO attributed the two incidents to efforts to curb crime in that area of the county.
“Due to ongoing crime suppression efforts occurring in West Bexar County, particularly targeting vehicular burglars, have led to pursuits initiated by the suspects. More specifically, the pursuits that occurred this week have yielded multiple arrests of violent suspects driving stolen vehicles, but also in possession of stolen property and illegal weapons,” the statement said.