Five teenagers ended their Wednesday night in handcuffs after San Marcos police cut short a reported round of late-night carjacking in a Craddock Avenue neighborhood, recovering stolen property and a previously pilfered gun in the process.
What police say
According to CBS Austin, officers were called just after midnight to reports of masked people testing car doors in the 500 block of Craddock Avenue. Responding officers soon spotted a vehicle leaving the area, pulled it over and detained five teens, police said.
Inside the vehicle, officers reported finding multiple stolen items, including a firearm that had been reported stolen during a vehicle burglary earlier in May. Police are now working to match the recovered property with recent reports and are asking anyone who discovered their vehicle burglarized overnight, or who has information about the group, to contact investigators.
Not an isolated operation
The arrests landed in the middle of a busy stretch of property-crime investigations in San Marcos. Earlier this month, an overnight operation at the San Marcos Premium Outlets led to several arrests connected to a string of smash-and-grab burglaries, FOX 7 Austin reported.
Local coverage of that outlet's case detailed weeks of surveillance and video evidence that investigators used to track suspects’ movements and stage a targeted overnight takedown. Police have not indicated whether the Craddock Avenue arrests are linked to any other property-crime patterns in the city.
Police advice and how to report tips
SMPD is again urging residents to lock their vehicles, keep valuables out of sight, and avoid leaving firearms inside cars at all. The City of San Marcos lists the department’s non-emergency dispatch at 512-753-2108 for tips or to report property damage.
Authorities say the investigation is ongoing and are especially interested in any home-security video or witness accounts from the area. Officials have not released the identities of those arrested or details on formal charges, and investigators are still reviewing whether the group is tied to other recent vehicle burglaries. This story will be updated as court filings or additional police statements shed more light on the case.
