South Austin woman carjacked at gunpoint

A South Austin couple is telling their story after their truck was stolen at gun point. 

This happened early Sunday morning at the 7-Eleven on Ben White and S. 1st Street. 

The truck was found and the suspect arrested Wednesday night.

Now, the couple is warning others to take precautions so this doesn't happen to anyone else.
“If it hadn't been us, it would've been someone else,” said Ashton Coyle who was in the truck when it was stolen.  

Coyle said her boyfriend, Mike McFadyen, made a quick stop at the convenience store around 1am Sunday. He ran inside and she stayed in the car. Within seconds, Ashton said someone opened the door and told her to get out. 

“I looked over and there was a gun in my face and so I just hopped out and ran in and told them to call the police,” Coyle said.  

By the time police arrived, Mike's truck was gone. 

“Unfortunately, the cameras on that side of the building were not working. They had had a robbery the week previous, so they knew that, but I guess they hadn't been fixed. So, we didn't get any video of the suspect at all,” said Coyle.  

Mike and Ashton didn't think they would ever see the grey Toyota Tundra again. 

“I was certain that it was just gone. There was this little mess up with the insurance, so I wasn't going to get covered for that. I was thinking I was basically going to become unemployed and homeless and it was just amazing to think that one single instance that happened so fast, can just basically change your whole life,” McFadyen said.  

Then, Wednesday, Ashton got the call she was hoping for. 

“A detective called and said, ‘We have good news and bad news. The good news is we found the vehicle and the bad news is it's involved in a SWAT situation,’” said Coyle.  

An officer tracked down the stolen vehicle to an address on Wagon Bend, but the suspect barricaded himself inside the home prompting the SWAT team to respond. 

Hours later, the suspect surrendered. 

“When we went to go meet up with officers to get the truck back, they wanted us to look and see if any of the stuff in there was ours or not ours,” McFadyen said.   

Everything the couple had left inside the truck was gone. Instead, Mike said there were tools that could've been used in other burglaries as well as security cameras with the wires cut, spark plugs, grinder discs and stolen items. 

“I don't really feel like anything more was going to happen to us, but it's nice knowing he's gone and this area is safer,” said McFadyen. 

Mike and Ashton hope telling their story will remind others to take precautions no matter where they are. 

“I wasn't paying attention for 30 seconds and it was crazy that something can happen that quickly,” Coyle said. 

Some suggestions from the couple include only parking in lit areas, always taking the keys out of the ignition when you get out, and locking the doors if you stay in the car.