APD looking for suspect in 7 food truck armed robberies in NE Austin

Detectives were able to link seven armed robberies at Northeast Austin food trucks to the same suspect due to the recurring themes.

AUSTIN, Texas - Austin police say they are looking for a man connected to seven armed robberies at food trucks in Northeast Austin.

"It started back in January 11, 2021, and we're up to about seven robberies now," said Detective Gabriel Guillen with APD.

The most recent armed robbery happened last Friday at Raul's Taqueria on Rundberg Lane. In total, three food trucks have been robbed in the Northeast Austin area, with two of the trucks, Tortas Y Tacos Dos Hermanos and Taqueria La Chilanguilta Food Stand, getting robbed three times each.

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Austin police are calling these robberies the Taco Truck Robbery series and they are all linked together by the same suspect.

"I think brandishing the weapon is what puts this guy’s confidence level up because these victims are in fear for their life so they're going to comply with their demands," said Detective Guillen.

Detectives were able to link these seven robberies to the man due to the recurring themes he keeps up.

"Just the direction of travel this guy runs, each time the time of day, the clothing description, the type of weapon brandished, it all leads us to believe it's one to two suspects that's been causing these robberies," said Detective Guillen.

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Police say they are looking for a black man between 5’8"-6’. He is usually dressed in all black clothing and carrying a silver and black handgun.

Austin police investigating food truck robberies in Northeast Austin

The Austin Police Department is looking for a man they say robbed two food trucks in Northeast Austin in an 80-minute span on March 1.

FOX 7 spoke to the co-owner of one of the trucks after she was robbed at gunpoint earlier this month. "[The suspect] came from back there, where he's come from all three times. He came and he put a gun to his ribs and pushed him into the trailer, and said 'give me money, give me money’," said Miriam Mercado, co-owner of Taqueria la Chilanguita Food Stand.

Detective Guillen says police hopes to have the suspect identified by the end of this week. If arrested, the suspect will be charged with at least six counts of aggravated robbery.

Detectives are asking anyone with information about this case to call the APD Robbery tip line at (512) 974-5092, Crime Stoppers at 512-472-TIPS, submit a tip on the Crime Stoppers website, or use the Crime Stoppers app. All information is anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

You can also submit tips anonymously through APD’s mobile app, Austin PD, which can be downloaded for free on iPhone and Android.