SAN ANTONIO – Four people were arrested after they crashed a stolen car near a gas station during a covert operation by law enforcement authorities overnight, according to San Antonio police.
The crash occurred around 12:30 a.m. Saturday near Ramsey Road and San Pedro Avenue on the city’s North Side.
According to police, several covert units worked overnight to derail a “street takeover” event that was happening in the early morning hours in the 800 Block of South General McMullen.
“We knew,” said SAPD Chief William McManus. “And again, there’s different ways that we receive intelligence that they are coming.”
McManus, who spoke exclusively with KSAT, said street takeovers are a major safety threat.
“It’s a dangerous, foolish, reckless thing to do on public streets or in parking lots, you know, wherever it may be,” he said.
During the operation they also conducted surveillance where they saw someone get out of a car with a weapon and a mask. That’s when, police say, the armed person was seen going inside a store, only to return a short while later without incident. Police said they believe that person may have been attempting to rob the store, but something scared him off.
SAPD said they started following the vehicle with the help of the department’s EAGLE helicopter and Texas Department of Public Safety troopers and came to find out that the vehicle was stolen. Initial attempts to pull the car over failed and the vehicle sped off.
The car drove around the South Side for a while before finally heading north. SAPD said EAGLE tracked someone inside the car tossing a handgun out onto the road.
The car eventually crashed near a QT convenience store, where all four suspects fled on foot, police said.
SWAT, a covert operations team, Texas DPS, SAPD, EAGLE helicopter and traffic and K9 units quickly surrounded the area and all four suspects were found and arrested.
A preliminary SAPD report said the suspects were an 18-year-old, along with three males ages 14 to 17. A total of three weapons were recovered at the scene, including one stolen firearm.
The teenagers now face several charges, including evading arrest with a vehicle, one count of unlawfully carrying, one count of theft of vehicle, one count of theft of a firearm and four counts of evading arrest.
SAPD said as a result of their efforts, multiple cases were made throughout the night on both the central and West Side of San Antonio. They impounded a total of three vehicles for reckless driving and traffic violations.
“Don’t come back,” warned McManus. “And if you do, you do it at your own peril. We’re going to take your car. You’re not going to get it back.”
One of the suspects was checked out by the SAFD while on scene.
No one else was injured in the incident.