3 armed robbery suspects arrested after chase on North Side

Woman robbed of purse at gunpoint while walking dog

SAN ANTONIO – Bexar County sheriff's deputies arrested three suspected armed robbers Tuesday morning after a brief chase on the city's North Side.

The chase started around 9 a.m. after a woman was robbed of her purse at gunpoint while walking her dog in the 2800 block of Bent Bow Drive, BCSO spokesman James Keith said.

He said San Antonio police officers were talking to the woman outside her home when a sheriff's deputy spotted the suspects' car. The deputy had been contacted by his relative who told him about the robbery.

Another deputy joined the pursuit, which lasted about 20 minutes throughout Alamo Heights and northeast San Antonio. Keith said the vehicle reached speeds of up to 60 mph as it weaved in and out of traffic.

The pursuit ended around 9:30 a.m. in front of a Volvo dealership on the access road of Loop 410 near Harry Wurzbach Road. Keith said a Department of Public Safety trooper blocked the suspects' vehicle and it crashed into a curb.

Keith said the three people inside the car ran in separate directions. One of them was caught in a service bay at the Volvo dealership, another was caught in front of a bank and the third person was caught running down the access road.

"We are very fortunate that this ended this way with no one injured. It's always dangerous when somebody decides to continue driving and not stop," Keith said. "We encourage everyone, if you see the lights, stop. Because we want to make sure that we can figure out what happened, get all the facts straight and nobody has to get injured."

He said deputies were preparing to deploy spike strips had the chase not ended when it did.

Keith said the three people arrested are suspects in three or four other robberies Tuesday morning.

The names and ages of the suspects have not been released, but Keith described them as young.