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Man Tracks Down His Stolen Truck, Kills Alleged Thief In Gunfight Outside Mall
IMHO --The police chief is dead wrong. The owner had decided he was going to take the law into his own hands=--he picked up his gun and went looking for his truck. And 3 people shot--one dead. And the police chief seems to say--well, depends on who you ask if the owner did right!!
Man Tracks Down His Stolen Truck, Kills Alleged Thief In Gunfight Outside Mall
The confrontation also left the truck owner and a woman passenger with gunshot wounds.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/texas-truck-thief-shooting_n_64c3f315e4b021e2f293075c
Pocharapon Neammanee Jul 28, 2023, 04:29 PM EDT
A Texas man whose truck was stolen tracked it down and confronted the suspected thief, killing him in a public shootout on Thursday, police said.
The owner of the Ford truck found it at the South Park Mall in San Antonio and confronted the man who had been driving it and a woman passenger, demanding at gunpoint they get out of the vehicle, Police Chief William McManus said at a press briefing.
The owner then called the police and made the two sit on the ground beside the truck’s tire to wait, but the man pulled his gun and fired at the truck’s owner, injuring him, police said.
The truck’s owner then returned fire, killing the man in the parking lot and injuring the woman, police said.
.............................
Police said the truck owner and the woman passenger were taken to the hospital with gunshot wounds. The woman is in critical condition, and the truck owner is in stable condition.
“Look, he was trying to recover his property. I guess it would depend on who you asked if he did the right thing or not,” McManus said...........
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MichMan
(17,151 posts)The truck’s owner then returned fire, killing the man in the parking lot and injuring the woman, police said.
BlueWaveNeverEnd
(14,256 posts)professionals.
MichMan
(17,151 posts)The professionals were unable to find the stolen truck.
The perpetrators decided not only were they entitled to steal from someone else, instead of getting a JOB, they would try and kill anyone that attempted to stop them. Fortunately they were stopped from committing who knows how many other crimes.
The person who was killed was willing to kill someone instead of being arrested for motor vehicle theft. Might have done the same to the police when they arrived.
DontBelieveEastisEas
(1,211 posts)
treestar
(82,383 posts)that he called them and they could not find it.
Just that he went looking for it and somehow found it.
Still he could have called police when he realized it was stolen. The whole thing was vigilante in nature.
MichMan
(17,151 posts)If the police would have been the ones that located it before he did, none of this would have happened.
treestar
(82,383 posts)Your post assumed what was not there. None of it would have happened had he called police and reported it stolen.
He bought himself trouble. Now it will be a contest between his story and the woman’s. And now he can’t blame the police for any shooting.
All three of them must be white or there would be a charge of racism by now.
It’s Texas. The majority are gun nuts and ok with a Wild West atmosphere.
ExWhoDoesntCare
(4,741 posts)South Park Mall is in a part of the city that is heavily Hispanic.
The chances that at least one of them is Hispanic is quite high.
LeftInTX
(34,301 posts)Vehicle owner shot thief in self defense.
Once the thief shot the vehicle owner, then it becomes obvious self defense.
Pulling a gun on someone can be seen as a deterrent. However, vehicle owner did not shoot until after he was shot.
treestar
(82,383 posts)passing. If the thief looked like he was going to shoot again, it could be self defense. Or just vigilante justice.
LeftInTX
(34,301 posts)A San Antonio man is not expected to face charges after his car was stolen and a confrontation with the suspected thief ended in fatal gunfire on Wednesday, March 29, police said.
The man's vehicle was stolen from his Northside home on Wednesday afternoon, police said. But by using an Apple AirTag, he was able to track his truck down to a shopping center on the Southeast Side in the 3200 block of Southeast Military Drive.
SAPD spokesperson Nick Soliz said the man called police to report his vehicle as stolen, but did not wait for police to arrive before attempting to confront the suspected car thief around 4 p.m.
Police said the man saw his truck in the parking lot, walked up to the stolen vehicle in an attempt to confront the person inside, and some sort of disagreement ensued. Soliz said he could not confirm if the man and the suspected thief argued, but said the car theft victim told police he believed the suspected thief pulled out a gun which prompted "a firefight."
https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/article/san-antonio-airtag-shooting-17871230.php
Guy's name was never released either. Apparently in Texas, you can use deadly force to protect property.
treestar
(82,383 posts)though he used deadly force to protect property, police/DA decided he could use deadly force to protect himself after the other guy shot him - so he was still considered under threat for a second shot from the thief.
Car thieves everywhere need to learn technology is going to make their crimes impossible to get away with.
LeftInTX
(34,301 posts)Apparently, in the March case, he was "protecting his property".
Our DA is fairly progressive. (But he is under the arm of the state) Not much details were released about the March case. They just didn't charge him. About the only reason I could find was on a pro-gun site that stated that Texans are allowed to use deadly force to protect their property. So, if the DA felt there were mitigating factors, maybe he felt it wasn't worth pursuing.
__________________
In last week's case, they aren't charging him because it was self defense.
LeftInTX
(34,301 posts)From 2017
The driver, 38-year-old man Andrew John Herrera, who deputies believe was under the influence of drugs, was arrested on several outstanding felony warrants, Salazar said. Herrera has a "substantial" criminal history and will face charges of possession of narcotics, possession of stolen property with a felony enhancement and possibly intoxication assault in connection with the incident.
The woman suffered "substantial" injuries to a leg and was taken to University Hospital. Salazar said they will interview the woman to determine her involvement in the incident.
Salazar said deputies found some stolen property, including some belonging to law enforcement, in the pickup.
The home where deputies were dispatched is well known to BCSO for incidents involving weapons, Salazar said.
https://www.ksat.com/news/2017/10/19/chase-involving-bcso-deputies-ends-in-crash-arrest-in-west-bexar-county/
Guess the DA felt that he couldn't get a conviction, especially considering that he had a history of stealing from law enforcement and incidents involving weapons etc. (The Mar 29th shooter claimed that Herrera pointed a gun at him) It's possible the shooter could have faced a misdemeanor and it was never made public...But who knows....
Lots of tatoos....https://www.chapelhillsa.com/obituaries/andrew-herrera
BTW The guy killed last week was also full of tatoos and had recently been arrested for stolen weapons, drugs etc.
South Bexar County appears to be full of shaved head tattooed guys...Ugh....They look like white supremacists, only with Hispanic names and darker skin than white guys...
DemocraticPatriot
(5,410 posts)You been watching Fox News a bit too much?
I might have agreed with most of what you said,
except for that totally unnecessary supposition....
MichMan
(17,151 posts)Something that millions of people get out of bed to go to every day, sometimes when they might not feel like it. A job that allows them to put a roof over their heads, feed their families, and yes, buy a vehicle like a truck. Generally purchased with a loan that requires them to make monthly payments for several years. A job that is so desired, that hundreds of thousands of immigrants make dangerous journeys to this country dreaming to obtain one for themselves.
There are others however that can't be bothered with any of that. They make a conscious decision that it's a lot easier to let someone else go through all that hard work, because they feel entitled to just take whatever they want, by stealing the fruits of someone else's labor. Society has a name for people like that; they call them criminals.
hunter
(40,691 posts)Leave it for another day.
I survive by not letting anyone I'd care to shoot live in my head.
Maybe 'cause I know I could be really good at it.
In my family we joke we are pacifists not by any natural inclination but by necessity.
Wingus Dingus
(9,173 posts)how they pull their horse trailer or their camper. They're so expensive, and insurance may not give you enough to buy an equivalent, if you can find one (I have really nice step bars, Linex bedliner, other stuff for towing that would take a while and a lot of $$ to get installed on a new truck). So I can see why this guy felt the urge to take action. Don't mess with someone's truck.
Raine
(31,179 posts)Thieves should ask themselves if some truck or anything that doesn't belong to them is worth their lives. Thief then needs to say no and walk away, stealing is not worth it.
hunter
(40,691 posts)... and one of the reason these guys steal cars.
When I was a wild young thing I used the aluminum softball bat / tire iron approach to recover what was rightfully mine a few times. Those memories haunt me. They are a burden. They do not buoy me up when I am feeling down, they do not make me feel powerful.
As a child I witnessed my mom going into Berserker rages a few times, usually justified. It was simply terrifying. Being the child of a grizzly bear does not make a child feel all cozy, safe, and secure.
For all their hatred of Hollywood, gun-toting vigilante hicks think the fiction they watch on television or see in the movies is how the real world works.
In the real world, especially in the United States, most of the people carrying guns are bloody fools.
treestar
(82,383 posts)unless it was reasonable to think the thief was going to fire again.
MichMan
(17,151 posts)How many should one be expected to take first?
treestar
(82,383 posts)If long enough, it is revenge.
We don’t know if he shot the woman separately or if the one bullet hit her.
Had he been a cop it would be all his fault.
ExWhoDoesntCare
(4,741 posts)If the truck owner was holding them at gunpoint, then the thief could have claimed he was acting in self-defense if he took out his gun and fired.
It's not as cut and dried as you make it out to be.
LeftInTX
(34,301 posts)But, the thief was committing a crime. He stole a truck. I don't think brandishing a firearm is a solution, but the thief was committing a crime and I don't think the self defense claim will work. Thief could have easily said, "Here take your truck back"
inthewind21
(4,616 posts)crime has he been charged with?
LeftInTX
(34,301 posts)That's where law enforcement said they made contact with several people. During a search of the location firearms, body armor, knives, hunting gear, trailers, personal items, exotic animal skins, and narcotics were found.
A further look into what was seized showed approximately 1,000 rounds of ammunition, 13 firearms, over two ounces of meth, and eight grams of cocaine were collected.
Alice Police said altogether the stolen property is worth around $50,000.
Police arrested Kevin Garcia. He now faces several charges.
APD said the case is being referred to the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
https://www.kristv.com/homepage-showcase/drugs-exotic-animal-skins-and-weapons-seized-by-alice-pd
___________________
https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2023/07/31/authorities-id-suspect-shot-killed-by-truck-owner-trying-to-recover-stolen-vehicle-at-south-park-mall/
multigraincracker
(37,651 posts)When ever I went looking for trouble, it found me.
DontBelieveEastisEas
(1,211 posts)Their names were,
NoneOfYourBusiness
ShutUp
Trouble.
One day Trouble got lost and so they went to find Trouble.
They walked up to a policeman and asked if he could help them.
He said "what is your name": NoneOfYourBusiness
This made him mad so he turned to the other and said "what is your name": ShutUp
He goes,
"Hey! are you guys looking for trouble?!!!" : Ya, do you know where he is !?
hunter
(40,691 posts)... and have the scars I remember it by.
RainCaster
(13,717 posts)Despite this being TX, I'm inclined to believe that the owner did almost everything right. Maybe he didn't need to go hunt down his truck in the first place. but realistically, cops place little priority on theft arrest and even less on recovery.
DontBelieveEastisEas
(1,211 posts)It's not even a "take back yer ground" thang.
It's a "take back yer stuff" thang.
Stand your ground means, to me, that you don't have to run away.
It doesn't sound like it means you can charge into new territory.
treestar
(82,383 posts)In a state with a lot of guns, that's asking for trouble.
ExWhoDoesntCare
(4,741 posts)If he pulled them out of the vehicle at gunpoint, then the thief could by rights have claimed self-defense because someone was holding a gun on him first. If they didn't know each other, how do we know that the thief wasn't in fear of his life from yet another thief?
Do you see how that could shift the SYG claim away from the truck owner and to the thief?
It's going to come down to who the cops believe about who wielded a gun first--the woman passenger, or the alleged truck owner. And what any CCTV has to say about it all.
Eko
(9,993 posts)It's vigilante justice. When he found the truck he should have just called the cops and waited for them. If they left follow them and keep the cops updated. What if that wasn't the person who stole the truck? What if they bought it from the thief? Or borrowed it and thought that guy was carjacking them? He's lucky that he wasn't killed and it sounds like he almost was. There is a reason we have the police.
NutmegYankee
(16,478 posts)The guy driving the truck pulled the gun because he didn't want to deal with police.
Eko
(9,993 posts)"The owner of the Ford truck found it at the South Park Mall in San Antonio and confronted the man who had been driving it and a woman passenger, demanding at gunpoint they get out of the vehicle, Police Chief William McManus said at a press briefing.
The owner then called the police and made the two sit on the ground beside the truck’s tire to wait, but the man pulled his gun and fired at the truck’s owner, injuring him, police said. "
It doesn't say that he told them he called the police, could be but also might not be. Like I said you are assuming a lot there.
NutmegYankee
(16,478 posts)The article speaks for itself.
Eko
(9,993 posts)How did that work out for him? You think he did the right thing, getting shot, killing another and wounding another just to get his truck back? In what world was that the right decision?
NutmegYankee
(16,478 posts)The big question is about legality, and while in my home in New England he'd be in jail right now, this happened in Texas. I certainly wouldn't recommend his actions, but i'm not sure they were actually illegal in the fucked up lands of south south central USA.
I do still put most of the blame on the thief. He could have just accepted his eventual arrest instead of trying to shoot it out.
Eko
(9,993 posts)It promotes a vigilante society where everyone has to walk around armed. That's not the kind of one I want to have to live in.
MichMan
(17,151 posts)How is he doing? Still in the hospital? Does he have insurance? How much are his doctor bills? Is he even still alive, or maybe he is now disabled and cant walk, stand up, take a shower by himself. I reckon that's not a life I would want to live just so I can get my truck back.
Kaleva
(40,365 posts)To retreat if it can be safely done which the truck owner could chosen to do.
I think the truck owner felt empowered by having a gun so he confronted the thieves. Like the guy who opened his door armed with a gun and pointed the weapon at one of the people who had been knocking at his door. Turned out they were police who promptly shot him dead
NutmegYankee
(16,478 posts)It’s not what I’d have done here in the Northeast, but as I’ve said earlier, it probably wasn’t illegal either.
delisen
(7,369 posts)In my city the police use license plate readers. They noted the vehicle was being driven around town almost constantly but did not apprehend. Finally we got it back when the thieves abandoned it after an accident. Total repairs plus police impound fees were about $3000. Loss of use, because these were working vehicles, was another two thousand.
I do not not think it is useful to have a police force which just monitors crime.
So if this car theft took place in my city I consider the car owner to have behaved reasonably in tracking his vehicle. I would have hunted for for my stolen vehicle myself but I had out of town guests and an urgent work schedule to salvage.
If I found my vehicle still in possession of the joyriders I would have called the police but would also probably have asserted my right to my vehicle after assessing the situation.. I don’t have a gun and would have trie to detain.
This type of vehicle theft is solveable and preventable but the will to do so is not with us. Ironically one reason is because so many vehicles are insured for theft.
ecstatic
(35,075 posts)Umm... no. Is the car worth your life?
lostnfound
(17,520 posts)I wouldn’t think twice, I’d think about 20 times before calling police. Especially if I were an immigrant in Texas, or a black person.
Eko
(9,993 posts)lostnfound
(17,520 posts)Eko
(9,993 posts)The cops come and try or do get your truck back or they turn on you.
Eko
(9,993 posts)Which is more likely, the police come and try or do get his truck back, the police turn on him or he confronts the guy himself and gets shot.
ripcord
(5,553 posts)DontBelieveEastisEas
(1,211 posts)Or mistakenly take a ride in a stolen truck.
ripcord
(5,553 posts)But you couldn't bring yourself to blame him now could you?
DontBelieveEastisEas
(1,211 posts)I blame the thief for being a thief and, far more, for having and pulling out and using the deadly weapon.
I also blame the thief for putting the passenger in harms way more than, I'll bet, she was expecting to be. She may even be innocent, as far as I know at this time.
I also blame the thief for putting the public, no doubt, in harms way.
I blame the thief for harming the poor guy just trying to stand up to a thief, or 2, and get his truck back.
Now, if the woman is innocent, and you lost your mother, or daughter, or friend, you would wish the truck's owner would have handled it differently. You would, I think, find some blame in his actions.
Of course the first level of blame would be how you felt about the thief.
There can be multiple layers of blame. Perhaps, you will find this criminal had a history that should have caused him to have treatment or to have a longer prison time, etc etc etc.
Perhaps it's a Kia with an easy to steal ignition that led to an outcome like this being more likely.
The first level is too obvious and it was, I feel, shallow of you to accuse me of not being able to blame the thief for his part.
Chainfire
(17,757 posts)You don't like it, get a bigger gun.
Wingus Dingus
(9,173 posts)give a shit about the thieves.
DontBelieveEastisEas
(1,211 posts)We don't know that the woman knew it was stolen.
maxrandb
(17,428 posts)from cutting the hands off of shoplifters.
What's next? Stoning blasphemers?
Something is fucking broken in America...and it's not just politics.
Holy fuck! Am I really seeing the "he deserved killing" defense on DU?
I swear, the way we engage with people nowadays, our mothers would be ashamed.
The anonymity of the internet allows shit to be spewed that just would not be tolerated 25-30 years ago.
DontBelieveEastisEas
(1,211 posts)ripcord
(5,553 posts)He pulled out a gun and shot the guy who owned the truck not caring if he killed him or not. There is only one person responsible for this incident and it is the thief he put the whole thing in motion and didn't give a damn about anyone else. Believe it or not people are getting tired of being victims to shit-assed criminals and soon you will see a backlash that holds people responsible for their actions and greatly increases the prison population.
inthewind21
(4,616 posts)Because there's been nothing reported that this DEAD man was in fact the one who actually stole the truck. The article actually refers to him as ALLEDGED thief. Do you have information that they rest of us don't that you justify someone dead, someone in critical condition over an ALLEGED truck thief? I also noticed in the article that there is no mention that the truck was ever even reported stolen. But hey, continue to cheer the death of a person and the critical condition of another because you ASSUME he did something. Now what was the name of that political cult that assumes shit all the time? You know, the ones people here regularly make fun of for believing everything they hear and a lot they don't.
ripcord
(5,553 posts)He was killed because he pulled a gun and shot someone and that person returned fire in self defense.
sarisataka
(22,695 posts)Who decides to start shooting when caught?
inthewind21
(4,616 posts)DU should support the rights of ALL citizens. But I guess you support killing someone for being alleged rather than charged under due process of the law. And note, he wasn't the first to pull a gun. The owner was. I don't know if this guy stole the truck or not and by the article posted, neither do the police. It's not even mention if the truck was even reported stolen. But the guy is dead now. So I guess it doesn't matter now huh. I also don't know if the woman with him who is in critical condition was involved or not. So good luck with that when someone decides you or one of yours is an ALLEGED criminal and kills you. You won't mind when everyone cheers right?
sarisataka
(22,695 posts)A criminals right to kill the victim of his crime. Note the victim was not the first one who tried to kill the other.
Hey- this assuming viewpoints and putting words in others mouths is easy.
inthewind21
(4,616 posts)From the article posted is that a man who says his truck was stolen located it, pulls a gun, says he sat the people inside on the ground by a tire yet the dead man was in the drivers side of the truck. All from the article, I support not killing someone or cheering it without knowing what actually happened. I see imagining a scenario where no facts are known is also easy. NO ONE in this article has been charged with a crime. You assume it all and cheer a killing. Says more about you than me.
sarisataka
(22,695 posts)To show where I have "cheered" the person being killed. In fact I double dog dare you.
You even replied to my post where I stated I felt the victim was unwise to confront the thief (or whatever random innocent person who just happened to be sitting in his stolen truck)
sarisataka
(22,695 posts)Or delete your false accusations.
Until we meet again 
taxi
(2,712 posts)If course the owner said the alleged thief shot first. But did he? Was the truck really stolen, or is there more to the story that the dead man cannot tell? Perhaps the alleged thief had actually borrowed the truck and failed to return it on time, and at best the owner acted on the assumption it was stolen, or worse the owner was looking for any excuse to satisfy his blood lust.
What became of learning the facts first?
There is no shortage of unthinking reactionaries here or anywhere else. It is a sad sight to see.
inthewind21
(4,616 posts)inthewind21
(4,616 posts)
sarisataka
(22,695 posts)And who shot first?
Those are key points.
DontBelieveEastisEas
(1,211 posts)Who didn't wait for the police.
More key points.
sarisataka
(22,695 posts)Because the thief decided to diversify into murder and began shooting at him.
So that is the one who didn't wait. He could have pressed assault charges against a person who pointed a gun.
DontBelieveEastisEas
(1,211 posts)sarisataka
(22,695 posts)However he did not go in guns blazing. He attempted to detain (citizens arrest for a felony is legal) and called the police.
It may have not been the wisest course of action but he did nothing illegal. When the other man escalated the situation with lethal violence, the truck owner is completely justified in defending himself.
inthewind21
(4,616 posts)When someone detains you at gunpoint because they said you are a criminal, you're ok with that right.
forthemiddle
(1,459 posts)Yes, then I’m ok with it.
I don’t recommend that action, but what if that truck was his only means of getting back and forth to his job, or the grocery store, or his kids medical appointment?
I swear, sometimes, I think criminals have more sympathy on DU than the victims.
inthewind21
(4,616 posts)say someone that stole YOUR shit. I said someone who claims you stole there shit. Nice dodge. You'd be here and everywhere else wailing at top volume.
forthemiddle
(1,459 posts)Finds someone inside said truck, and they should just let him drive away, because golly jeepers, he’s probably just an innocent bystander?
I said I don’t recommend confrontation, but I also don’t think the thief (yes I said thief) was an innocent bystander.
Call me a cynic.
sarisataka
(22,695 posts)That statement has been true far too many times. I can recall several times when a victim who tried to fight back with a gun but died was... well I would not like to say cheered but if the shoe fits.
Yet on the other hand people will bend themselves into pretzels to explain why the criminal was not a danger at that split second. In this case some seem to think the victim should have waited on a second shot from the criminal. Then of course a third, etc.
forthemiddle
(1,459 posts)I don’t condone the vigilante justice, but people are becoming really sick of the level of crime in some cities, with barely any repercussions. When you see criminals committing crimes, only to be immediately released, or not prosecuted at all, it becomes a little frustrating.
Stores are shutting down because of theft. People can’t buy certain cars because of theft (Kia and Hyundai). But whenever anyone brings up the subject of crime on DU (unless, of course, it’s perpetrated by a right wing, white guy) they are immediately jumped on for either racism, or classism.
sarisataka
(22,695 posts)If I was not a criminal I would wait for the police and then press charges. I wouldn't start shooting at them.
inthewind21
(4,616 posts)Sure thing. So you're telling everyone here that if you are carrying and someone randomly pulls a gun on you and hold you at gunpoint you will just sit there politely and wait. Riiiiiiiiiiiight.
sarisataka
(22,695 posts)To try to out draw someone pointing a gun at you and says we are waiting for the police.
Say I have my gun and someone shoots at me. Must I wait for a second shot before defending myself? May I shoot back after he hits me or must I wait for a fatal shot before I can return fire?
treestar
(82,383 posts)DU can blame the police.
inthewind21
(4,616 posts)literally makes me sick to my stomach how many cheer the death of another human being over a fucking truck! Is getting my stuff stolen pleasant, no it's not. It's infuriating. Been there, done that. More than once. I had a bunch of punk ass gang banger wanna be assholes kick in the door to my house while I was at work and trash the whole place. Was I pissed as hell, yes. Did I ever once even think about how they should be shot and killed, no, no I did not. It's all stuff and I have insurance for just that scenario. But for fucks sake, cheering the death of another human over an inanimate thing, well, is it any wonder how the country got to where it is now!
hunter
(40,691 posts)It doesn't matter who shot first.
Hans Solo the original Star Wars, or the later post edit.
Don't shoot. Strive to avoid those situations.
Be not ever in the place where they would shoot you or you would shoot them.
sarisataka
(22,695 posts)It matters quite a bit
I agree it is best to avoid such situations. But even the Dali Lama said-
If someone has a gun and is trying to kill you, it would be reasonable to shoot back with your own gun.
hunter
(40,691 posts)When I was a wild young thing I had a fucking awesome four channel music player in my car. Bought it an installed it myself.
I was parked near the beach in Venice California and heading back to my car when I happened upon some junkie breaking into it, certainly to steal my awesome sound system.
I looked around, picked up a brick from someone's landscaping, and hurled it at his head.
Fortunately my aim was a little off, by millimeters, and the guy ran away unharmed.
Walking back to my car I vomited, knowing I could have killed the guy, and my guardian angel had protected me.
My guardian angel laughs like a maniac every time I've severely suffered for my stupidity, vomiting not the least of it.
That's not my worst story.
NutmegYankee
(16,478 posts)The owner had the legal ability to pull a gun to conduct a citizen's arrest for a clear felony crime that he could observe. The thief shooting him then enabled him to stand his ground. It's not a great scenario, but what matters are the laws in his jurisdiction.
hunter
(40,691 posts)Not at all.
Fortunately for me and my ex (this was the cause of our bloody, for me, breakup) the law didn't like the guy either.
He's long dead.
All I got is this PTSD,
Takket
(23,715 posts)
MarineCombatEngineer
(18,060 posts)Once he located his stolen truck, he should've waited for the police to arrive and duke it out with this POS, that's what they're trained for.
treestar
(82,383 posts)the days of the Wild West.
Let the police and insurance company do their jobs.
LeftInTX
(34,301 posts)Car stolen.
Report to police.
They won't look for it.
Lots of people get cars stolen in San Antonio and it's always a total loss. No recovery. They take a police report and that's about it. It's kinda like shoplifting. Nothing happens. They have bigger fish to fry I guess.
inthewind21
(4,616 posts)why we have insurance.
dchill
(42,660 posts)Cowboy up! Y'all are in Texas!
NowISeetheLight
(4,002 posts)I'm unclear. He tracked it down. Did he sit and stake it out before the driver showed up? Was he just driving by and saw it? I really need more details.
What if this driver had bought it from someone? Maybe they weren't the thief. The fact he was able to track it means it was probably a later model with GPS. My Caddilac has this ability with OnStar. I've owned cars in Arizona that had LoJack in the past.
I have a real problem with vigilante justice. It isn't supposed to work like that. I really don't want to live in the wild west where any perceived slight leads to drawing down.
GoodRaisin
(10,922 posts)the truck owner. I do know this - I would have not confronted the thief with a gun. I think I call the police and hope they show up to the mall in time before the thief leaves; if not, try to follow him as discreetly as possible to his next destination and try to keep the police on the phone while following him, until police can bring him to a stop.
ZonkerHarris
(25,577 posts)GoodRaisin
(10,922 posts)Think of the legal expenses he will be exposed to now.
Prairie_Seagull
(4,690 posts)I would have been on the phone with police on the ride to the mall and they could have even gotten there before me. Much conjecture but there it is.
on edit- corrected faux paux. "beaten me there"
tenderfoot
(8,982 posts)eom
LeftInTX
(34,301 posts)We have tons of vehicles stolen and they always get away with it. No one gets arrested. Vehicles are not pursued. Auto-theft is considered a non-violent, victimless crime that insurance covers.
However, everyone would still be alive. Can't argue with that.
tenderfoot
(8,982 posts)
LeftInTX
(34,301 posts)
Iggo
(49,928 posts)Fuck all them gunfuckers. Every single one of ‘em.
PCIntern
(28,369 posts)I agree with everyone here who has commented so far.
My take is that I would assume in the state of Texas that anyone from whom I stole the truck would own a gun or twenty guns and if I stole enough trucks, I might eventually have a problem of this variety. The perpetrator was carrying, and apparently had been watching too many of those direct to video movies where the bad guys get away with most everything they do.
As far as the owner goes, he is obviously one of those “I’d rather be tried by 12 than carried by six“ people and I can absolutely see this happening easily, and I’m amazed that it doesn’t happen more than it does. Which reminds me of a story, of course….
My father was a postal worker by night, and those of us who are older remember that spate of post office shootings almost all perpetrated by employees. Thus the phrase “going postal” entered the lexicon… My father remarked when I asked him about all this, that he was amazed that it didn’t happen more often given who worked there at the time. He himself had to be saved by friendly coworkers on a number of occasions from irrational, insane individuals, who worked in the same building as did he.
Ilsa
(64,372 posts)I think being so miserable can lead to poor judgment.
treestar
(82,383 posts)crime stats might well show increase in crime and police being busier.
Hugin
(37,848 posts)It seems a little BRAVADO heavy.
“… confronted the man who had been driving it and a woman passenger, demanding at gunpoint they get out of the vehicle…
The owner then called the police and made the two sit on the ground beside the truck’s tire to wait, but the man pulled his gun and fired at the truck’s owner, injuring him, police said.
The woman is in critical condition, and the truck owner is in stable condition.”
I believe it up to the point where it says the man confronted the couple in the truck. After that, there is not enough information to say what really occurred. Is the woman conscious enough to give her own statement? Perhaps the couple started running or the thief pulled his gun as he exited the truck. Too many what-ifs to discern what really happened. But, in my opinion the call to the police either happened after the shootings or before the man confronted the couple.
treestar
(82,383 posts)But yet sat in the ground at gunpoint.
Thief might have tried to shoot at a cop too.
I thought it was said never draw a gun unless you are going to shoot it and kill. Owner here drew it for threat like a TV show or western.
Curious to hear the woman’s statement.
sarcasmo
(23,968 posts)Eko
(9,993 posts)
We just hate thieves.
Eko
(9,993 posts)I don't hate anyone. Hate is for the other side not ours.
Renew Deal
(85,168 posts)He should have called the cops and let them deal with it.
LeftInTX
(34,301 posts)He's covered with tats (looks like prison gang tats) Recently arrested for 13 stolen weapons, meth, cocaine, stolen animal furs etc.
Polybius
(21,902 posts)FAAFO.
TexasBushwhacker
(21,204 posts)and it was still 50 shades of stupid.
He did not catch the thief in the act of stealing the truck and use deadly force to protect his property.
He found out where the truck was and approached it with his weapon drawn.
The PRESUMED thief, a man sitting in the driver's side was also armed. He saw the gun pointing at him, shot first and missed. The truck owner shot the man in the driver's seat dead and wounded the female sitting in the passenger seat. She is now in the hospital.
For all we know, the real thief might have been in the mall buying slushies for everyone.
Now, instead of calling law enforcement and allow them to, you know, ENFORCE THE LAW, the truck owner's vehicle is now a crime scene and will be impounded for months. The whole situation, both the vehicle theft and the killing of the man sitting in the truck, will be investigated.
The truck owner will probably not be charged with a crime. This is Texas, after all. Will his car insurance cover the loss of the truck? Who knows? Will the woman in the passenger seat that he shot sue him,? Who knows?
Captain Stern
(2,253 posts)According to the article the thief shot the owner, and injured him.
The owner is in stable condition.
Polybius
(21,902 posts)If it was a friend that he picked up that's a lot worse, even though that friend almost certainly knew the truck was stolen.
TexasBushwhacker
(21,204 posts)I will always remember what a high school classmate told me.
I saw him at our 20 year class reunion. I knew he owned a little neighborhood "Cheers" type bar. Texas had just passed it's first open carry law, which Ann Richards had originally vetoed. It cost her the governorship and she knew it, but she knew it was a bad law.
So I asked Steve what he thought about the new law. Without hesitation, he said "It will mean more dead people, and they won't all be bad guys."
He continued, " Don't get me wrong. I have a business that deals with a lot of cash and is a target for armed robbery. I have firearms to protect my business. I was in the army and know how to use them. But a law abiding citizen has probably never fired their weapon at a human being, much less killed someone. They will have a moment of hesitation before pulling that trigger. The "bad guy" won't. Owning a gun can protect you, but it can also get you killed."
SYFROYH
(34,214 posts)Based on the info in the article. Details matter.
LeftInTX
(34,301 posts)ripcord
(5,553 posts)Prairie_Seagull
(4,690 posts)The facts matter but, It can't be just about value of stolen property. Hell he did not even confront the thief on his property. Even then, It's just property. Still much is unknown but as things are know at the time of this thread. Seems pretty clear the truck owner is intent on confrontation with a somewhat predictable outcome.
Are trucks in TX the new horse that you could be hung for steeling?
Pets are considered property, I don't personally consider my dog property. More like fellow traveler that gets food that he earns by watching our backs. if someone stole him, I would do everything in my power to get him back but not before calling the police first. if I found where he was I would call the cops and let them know where he was and let them handle it.
It could be argued that the proximate cause was the stealing of the truck (again property). We can't be at the point where stealing a truck or stealing a potted plant or stealing a dog is considered as deserving of death.
LeftInTX
(34,301 posts)Owner brandished the gun in order to get his vehicle returned.
Thief shot owner supposedly in self defense.
Owner shot thief in self defense.
Look, I live in a town (San Antonio) where people want to organize armed posses to rescue pit bulls which are tied up in back yards.
One group wanted to break into an apartment complex to rescue a pit bull which never left the apartment.
The world has gone crazy!
inthewind21
(4,616 posts)There is no confirmation that the dead man is in fact the thief.
Celerity
(54,410 posts)
Watch: Chief McManus gives an update on a shooting that occurred on the 2300 block of SW Military Dr. ‘
In this video the Police Chief said the dead man was the thief:
https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?ref=watch_permalink&v=3559064951032285
Your claim above is false.
treestar
(82,383 posts)though some floated some theories why he might not be.
Maybe the woman that was there admitted it?
There didn't seem to be time for the truck to be turned over to a second person after the thief.
Happy Hoosier
(9,535 posts)tremendously wreckless. If a bystander had been injured by flying bullets, it would have been his fault.
LeftInTX
(34,301 posts)Owner of stolen truck tracks it with AirTag and kills man inside, Texas police say
Before a Texas family’s truck was stolen from their home, authorities said they tagged it with a GPS tracking device. The family was then able to track the stolen vehicle with the Apple AirTag hidden within it, San Antonio police officer Nick Soliz said in a news briefing recorded by KSAT. By tracking the AirTag, a man and two family members found the stolen truck in a shopping center parking lot on Wednesday, March 29, police said. “It looks like they tried to confront the suspect who they saw in their vehicle,” Soliz said. “I don’t know if an argument happened, but we know that one of the victims of this stolen vehicle gets out of the car, goes around (and) attempts to contact the suspect in the truck.”
Read more at: https://www.star-telegram.com/news/state/texas/article273772885.html#storylink=cpy
______________
Vigilante shooter wasn't charged. So, I don't think last Friday's shooter will be charged. It's almost like it's a repeat of the March 29th crime, except the thief shot the owner in this case. In the March case, the owner shot the guy in cold blood. Texas apparently allows deadly force to protect property.
ecstatic
(35,075 posts)Period. Or killing someone. I wouldn't want a truck or anything that was associated with deaths or murder. Not worth it. Not to mention the danger the public was exposed to.
LeftInTX
(34,301 posts)The car thief was recently busted with 13 stolen weapons, 1,000 rounds of ammunition, cocaine, meth, stolen animals skins. He also had a scale and a significant amount of US and Mexican currency next to the drugs. He also had a fake police badge and a bullet proof vest.
We had a similar incident in March. Guy chased after a guy who stole his truck and shot him. (Also in San Antonio, but it didn't seem to make national news as much) The guy who stole the truck has a huge rap sheet and was likely in prison gangs.
Both guys also had shaved heads.
Both guys who stole these trucks weren't "punk teen gangs", these were bad ass hardened criminals/gang members/organized crimes
The Mouth
(3,414 posts)I will never complain about anything that happens to a burglar; good riddance to bad rubbish.