White Settlement police looking for armed group stealing from cars
WHITE SETTLEMENT, Texas - Police in White Settlement are looking for a group of vehicle burglars wanted for not only stealing from several cars and trucks but also a shooting. One man was hit in the leg by a ricocheted bullet.
Police say they were able to collect several different surveillance clips capturing the suspects on video., but so far no one is in custody.
A man who lives in White Settlement is out of the hospital Monday after a bullet grazed his thigh during a weekend car burglary crime spree on his street.
"In a moment like that you are just trying to react the best you can," he said.
The shooting victim does not was his face shown or his name used with the shooter still on the loose.
The man tells FOX 4 just before 2 a.m. Sunday, he was sitting in the passenger seat of his vehicle parked in the driveway when the door was yanked open.
"I immediately responded, and I came out of the car and pushed him," he recalled. "I was trying to get him away. Out of nowhere, he pulled a gun. I saw the fire coming from the gun."
White Settlement police believe the shooter is a teenager, who was caught on camera pulling car door handles early Sunday morning along with three other teens.
Investigators say the group started on Downe Drive stealing items out of cars, mostly cash.
"This is different. This is scary for our community," said White Settlement Police Chief Christopher Cook. "We really haven't seen something like this where someone is armed and willing to shoot someone over a property crime."
In one surveillance video, the car burglar with his face covered is seen attempting to open a car door while simultaneously pointing a black firearm at the house.
Eventually, the teens made it to Sussex Street and opened the victim’s door. Police say one of them opened fire when confronted by the victim.
One bullet hit the victim’s car and then ricocheted into his leg.
"It could’ve been really really tragic," the victim said.
Police say another bullet struck a neighbor’s vehicle.
Lorie Parrish says that vehicle was her truck.
"I am guessing they were running from the scene and ‘Pow! Pow! Pow!’ Because how did my truck get hit," she said.
The burglars didn’t stop after the shooting.
White Settlement police say this video was time-stamped past 2 a.m. showing the teens still pulling on door handles on a different street.
Police recovered a cell phone they believe one of them dropped. They hope it will help identify and find them.
"They need to catch these kids or whoever is doing it," Parrish said.
About an hour after a shooting, an officer spotted a group of teenagers about a mile away from the scene. A 15-year-old was detained but denied any involvement.
Right now, police say they do not have enough to link the teen in custody to the shooting or the car burglaries but say they could change.
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Anyone with information on these suspects or this case is asked to call Det. Page at 817-246-7070 Ext. 114 or email investigator@wspd.us.
You can also call Tarrant County Crime Stoppers at 817-469-TIPS. Tipsters can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward.