Several suspects were apprehended Tuesday morning in the area of FM 407 and FM 2499 after they allegedly stole a pickup, burglarized an ATM and fled from police.
Police were called just after 6 a.m. about an ATM burglary in progress at the Denton Area Teachers Credit Union at the corner of FM 407 and Briarhill Boulevard. The suspect vehicle was described as a white pickup that was later determined to have been stolen from The District at Highland Village, a nearby apartment complex, according to a news release from the city of Highland Village.
Police responding to the scene saw the pickup stop abruptly and three black men wearing dark clothing got out and ran. Officers chased them on foot, but before they could get to them, an unknown white SUV almost hit one of the officers. The three suspects are believed to have gotten into another vehicle at a preplanned location because another officer nearby in his police vehicle then observed a gray sedan speeding and running stoplights westbound on FM 407. That officer conducted a traffic stop on the gray sedan, which pulled into a parking lot near T-Mobile and Smoothie King and all three suspects again got out and fled on foot.
Units from Flower Mound, Double Oak, Lewisville, Argyle, Hickory Creek and the Denton County Sheriff’s Office all came to help with the search for the suspects on foot and the white SUV. Soon after, a citizen told police that someone was hiding behind a dumpster near the Smoothie King. Police found one of the suspects and ordered him to come out and show his hands, but he tried to run again. This time, police caught him after another foot chase, according to the news release.
That left the remaining suspect on foot and the white SUV unaccounted for. A resident in a nearby neighborhood called 911 to report a man in their backyard, but responding officers were not able to find that suspect. Flower Mound police officers remained in the area, and they saw a white SUV in the Academy parking lot, close to where the suspects got out of the gray sedan.
Police approached that SUV and found three occupants. They told police they were from the Houston area visiting a friend, but one of them “had a difficult time trying to remember his name” and at least two of the three have extensive criminal records, so they were all transported to HVPD for further investigation, according to the news release.
All three vehicles were impounded, along with potential evidence from the initial call for the ATM burglary.
Police do not believe there are any additional suspects at-large, but residents shouldn’t hesitate to call police if they see anything suspicious or out of the ordinary.
Charges are pending. The suspects were not successful in stealing money from the ATM.