A man broke into a parked vehicle outside a Walgreens on Lee Trevino Drive in East El Paso back on May 31 and made off with a handgun while the victim and three others were inside the store. Months later, the suspect remains unidentified, and investigators say they are convinced someone out there knows exactly who he is.
According to KTSM 9 News, the victim and three others had walked into the Walgreens at 1831 Lee Trevino when the suspect approached their vehicle, opened the back door, and grabbed a Taurus GX2 handgun the victim had left inside. The case has now been publicized by Crime Stoppers of El Paso as its Crime of the Week, and the El Paso Police Department is asking the public for help tracking the man down.
Investigators describe the suspect as a white or Hispanic man in his 30s with a medium or large build, sporting a mustache and beard. Security footage reportedly shows him wearing a gray or tan baseball cap, a dark hooded sweatshirt, dark pants, and athletic shoes at the time of the break-in, per the station's report.
A Small Pistol With a Big Capacity
The stolen weapon, a Taurus GX2, is a compact 9mm striker-fired pistol built with a 13-round magazine and marketed for everyday concealed carry, according to Taurus USA. That capacity is one round more than a dozen for the gun now missing from East El Paso streets.
Under Texas law, the theft carries serious consequences if the suspect is caught. Texas Penal Code § 31.03(e)(4)(C) automatically classifies firearm theft as a state jail felony no matter the gun's value, punishable by 180 days to two years behind bars and fines up to $10,000, according to the L&L Law Group. Separately, entering a vehicle without the owner's consent to commit theft is charged as burglary of a vehicle, a Class A misdemeanor carrying up to a year in county jail.
Part of a Larger Texas Pattern
The Lee Trevino incident fits a broader Texas concern. The San Antonio Report found that 2,613 firearms were stolen from vehicles in San Antonio during 2024 alone, averaging nearly seven guns a day.
How to Submit a Tip
Crime Stoppers of El Paso is asking anyone with information about the suspect's identity to come forward. Tipsters can call 915-566-8477 or submit information online at cselpaso.org, and callers can remain anonymous while potentially qualifying for a cash reward if their tip leads to an arrest.
Hoodline has previously covered El Paso's fugitive most-wanted rollouts, part of the same broader effort by Crime Stoppers to lean on community tips to close open cases. For now, the man seen on surveillance video outside the Lee Trevino Walgreens remains at large, and so does the stolen Taurus GX2.
