Two people are dead after an early Sunday crash on San Antonio’s far West Side that unfolded while deputies were responding to reports of vehicle burglaries in a neighborhood still half asleep.
The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office says deputies discovered a badly wrecked car and two occupants critically injured shortly after a 4 a.m. call about “possible burglars in action.” Investigators later found that multiple vehicles in the area had been hit by burglars overnight.
What the sheriff said
According to MySA, Sheriff Javier Salazar said deputies arrived near the intersection of Blacktail Crest and Bonita Loop, where a deputy switched on his overhead lights just as a car took off at a high rate of speed.
Salazar said video from the area shows two people walking through the neighborhood, checking door handles and getting into vehicles. He described the fleeing vehicle as an early-2000s, blacked-out Toyota that may itself have been stolen.
The sheriff said the two people who died were young Hispanic males. Investigators are still working to positively identify them.
How this fits a larger pattern
The deadly crash comes as the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office has been ramping up visible patrols in response to a run of attacks and property-crime concerns. As announced a patrol surge earlier this month, Sheriff Salazar has urged residents to call in anything that looks off.
Officials say the extra cars on the street are there to calm jittery neighborhoods while detectives chase down tips and review video sent in by residents.
Investigations under way
Salazar told reporters that the deputy who activated his lights has been placed on administrative leave, which he described as standard BCSO procedure after a serious incident like this.
Two separate investigations are open, one into the crash itself and another into the reported burglaries. In a statement to MySA, Salazar said the agency will wait on forensic work and full investigative findings before reaching any conclusions and that, so far, “it does appear our policies and procedures were complied with.”
The county medical examiner and crash investigators are handling identification of the victims and the technical reconstruction needed to determine how the wreck unfolded.
What neighbors can do
Deputies are asking anyone in the area who has doorbell cameras, dash cams or other footage from early Sunday to hold onto it and share it with investigators.
Provided a non-emergency tip line at 210-335-6000, the sheriff’s office has reminded residents to call 911 if there is an immediate threat. Deputies say they will keep canvassing the neighborhood as the case moves forward and are urging anyone with information to come forward.
