The owner of the truck the suspect is accused of stealing tracked him down to a Texas shopping center, where he was killed in a gun battle, authorities say. The shooting occurred outside the South Park Mall on Thursday, barely two minutes after police received a call reporting a theft, according to San Antonio Police Chief William McManus’s statement to media.
“The owner of the stolen vehicle certainly has the right to track down their vehicle,” he said. “Now, we would prefer that they called the police before taking that into their own hands, but he did what he felt he needed to do.” According to McManus, the theft event began when the car’s owner, accompanied by a woman, located the stolen vehicle in the mall’s parking lot.
“They show up, they find the vehicle, there is two individuals — a male and a female — in the vehicle,” the police chief said. “The owner of the stolen vehicle gets the driver … and the passenger out of the truck at gunpoint.” According to McManus, the owner or his companion called the police.
The tweet below verifies the news:
Suspected Texas vehicle thief dies in shootout with vehicle owner who tracked him down, police say https://t.co/l9l150H8Tv
— Fox News (@FoxNews) July 28, 2023
“The suspect in the stolen vehicle was seated by the rear tire of the vehicle. So at some point, the person who stole the vehicle and who is now being held at gunpoint by the owner of the vehicle produces a weapon from his waistband and shoots the owner of the vehicle,” he continued.
After being shot at, the car’s owner fired back, leaving the suspect “deceased in the parking lot,” as McManus put it. The woman who was riding with the alleged thief was also shot and is in critical condition at a nearby hospital, he said. Meanwhile, the driver seemed to be doing fine after receiving treatment.
The police did not immediately release the names of individuals involved. McManus stated, “He was trying to recover his property,” referring to the Ford truck in question. Whether or not what he did was right “probably depends on who you ask.”
The following article from the California Examiner provides a more in-depth discussion of recent events in the United States:
- Man and Woman Killed in Anderson County Early Morning Crash Identified by Coroner
- Justice Alito’s Intervention Sparks Revival of Ghost Gun Rules
After being recognized as the victim’s brother, the man told KENS 5, “There are two sides to every story.” “Whether my brother was wrong or right, he had a gun pointed at him. I guess he took it upon himself to defend himself. The guy who shot him is a vigilante, not a hero,” Jose Garcia told KENS 5.
“A vehicle is not worth taking someone’s life, I don’t care what kind of car it is. You don’t take the law into your own hands. Now my mom, my family, we all have to suffer and just deal with it.”
Keep up with the news and get some food for thought by visiting the website CaliforniaExaminer.net.