3 suspects arrested after theft at North Texas mall leads to manhunt in neighborhood: police

Nicole Lopez
·2 min read
20

Three suspects were arrested Monday following a police chase that began at a mall in Mesquite and ended with schools on alert and an armed man hiding in a neighborhood, police said.

Mesquite police were dispatched to a reported theft at Town East Mall at 2:55 p.m. Monday.

Officers spotted the suspects’ vehicle as it fled the scene. The vehicle failed to stop and a chase began, police said in a news release Tuesday.

Officers pursued the car until it stopped in a neighborhood on the south side of the mall. The driver got out and ran while two other people in the vehicle were taken into custody, police said.

The driver was seen with a gun as he fled from officers, according to police.

Nearby schools were placed on “secure status” for the safety of the students.

The armed man approached a home in the neighborhood and threatened a resident before running again, police said.

Officers established a perimeter and began searching with the assistance of a helicopter. Dogs, the Mesquite Police Tactical Team, and a drone operator from the Mesquite Fire Department also helped with the search.

A homeowner in the area received an alert on his surveillance camera system and told officers the suspect was shown on his cameras getting into and hiding in one the cars in his gated driveway, according to police.

The tactical team was able to negotiate the safe surrender of the suspect from the vehicle, and he was taken to jail without further incident, according to police.

A review of the evidence showed that the suspects were driving a stolen car, police said in a statement. The gun used by the driver was found in a neighbor’s yard and was also stolen, police said.

The suspects face charges of engaging in organized criminal activity, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, evading arrest, failure to identify, and other outstanding warrants.

The names of the suspects have not been released.