AUSTIN, Texas - Three suspects were arrested in connection to several aggravated robberies in downtown Austin, police said.
Downtown Austin armed robberies
Timeline:
Police said on Sept. 13, around 2:25 a.m., during closing time at a bar, a teen forcibly removed a gold necklace from a victim who was walking in the 500 block of E. 6th Street.
The victim tried to get her necklace back, but the teen suspect pulled out a gun and pointed it at her and her friend. The victim said the teen suspect threatened to shoot them both.
The teen suspect then ran and turned onto Sabine Street where a second teen suspect and 18-year-old Alijah Rodriguez were waiting in a getaway car.
Police said as the teen suspect was running, he ran into a group of three active-duty U.S. Army service members. The teen then robbed them at gunpoint for their jewelry.
The second teen suspect retrieved a gun and helped the first teen carry out the robbery. Both of them targeted the service members with their guns and, after one of the suspects removed the contents from one of the victims' wallet, the second suspect shot the victim in the face.
The group of suspects then fled the area.
Police said the victim was taken to a local hospital and did survive his injuries.
Dig deeper:
Detectives investigated the robberies and identified the suspects as Rodriguez and two teens. All three were known to police due to multiple aggravated robberies, aggravated assaults and other gun-related offenses.
Alijah Rodriguez, 18
On Sept. 22, all three suspects were taken into custody.
Due to active-duty Army service members being victims, special agents with the Central Texas Field Office of the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division provided crucial assistance in the investigation.
What you can do:
Anyone with information about this incident should call the APD Robbery tip line at (512) 974-5092. You may submit your tip anonymously through the Capital Area Crime Stoppers Program by visiting austincrimestoppers.org or calling 512-472-8477.
The Source: Information from an Austin Police Department press release on Oct. 8