Man broke into West Side cellphone store through roof, police say

Suspect quickly arrested nearby

SAN ANTONIO – A man suspected of climbing through the roof of a cellphone store west of downtown and stealing merchandise is in jail, facing criminal charges.

San Antonio police arrested him early Monday morning about two blocks away from the Metro PCS store, which is located in the 300 block of South Zarzamora.

Police said the man was carrying bags loaded with items taken from the store at the time of his arrest.

Officers found out about the burglary after an alarm went off around 6:30 a.m. On arrival, they noticed the business had been ransacked.

"This is, like, my 12th or 13th one," said Jimmy Om, who owns the store.

Even though Om has deterrents such as burglar bars and an alarm system in place, crooks keep finding a way inside, he said.

When police noticed this time that the burglar bars appeared to be undisturbed, they initially weren't sure how the burglar could've gotten in. 

But with help from their helicopter, officers were able to see damage on the roof and determined that was the burglar's entry point.

A short time later, they made an arrest nearby.

"As soon as I got here, they already informed me that they caught the guy," Om said. "It's unbelievable, they caught him so quick. It's pretty shocking. I didn't think they would. So, yeah. Yeah!"

Officers asked KSAT 12 News not to disclose how they tracked down the suspect so quickly, but they said it took more than regular police work.

Om said he is just glad they found him and wonders what else he can do to keep burglars from trying to break in again.


About the Author:

Katrina Webber joined KSAT 12 in December 2009. She reports for Good Morning San Antonio. Katrina was born and raised in Queens, NY, but after living in Gulf Coast states for the past decade, she feels right at home in Texas. It's not unusual to find her singing karaoke or leading a song with her church choir when she's not on-air.