HOUSTON – Houston police are asking for the public’s help in the search for the suspects responsible for a series of robberies in the Third Ward area.
According to Houston Police Department’s Executive Assitant Chief Larry J. Satterwhite, at least five robberies have been reported on the Columbia Tap trail over the last two weeks.
The first one was reported on May 16, and the last was on May 29. Most of the robberies occurred in the evening and into the night, however, Satterwhite says one previously took place in broad daylight, around 10 a.m.
Satterwhite and Councilwoman Dr. Carolyn Evans-Shabazz held a news conference Tuesday afternoon to discuss the incidents and how law enforcement will handle the investigation.
Both Satterwhite and Shabazz stated that the robberies all have very similar methods which led investigators to believe that the same set of suspects are responsible.
On the Saturday before Memorial Day, one man was reportedly beaten up badly by a group of robbers. The victim’s wife said during the incident, one of the suspects hit her husband’s helmet with a gun so hard, it cracked the helmet.
SEE ALSO: ‘He got jumped’: Man severely beaten, robbed while riding bike in park in Third Ward area
That assault didn’t stop there, as the woman described, the robbers then took her husband’s cell phone and wallet and ordered a Uber ride to The Galleria where they then attempted to go on a ”shopping spree” inside the mall.
Days after the beating, the woman says her husband is still in the hospital and the people responsible are still out there.
In some of the other cases, the suspects have reportedly tackled the victims to the ground before robbing them.
“The last two [were] very serious, very violent,” Satterwhite said.
In efforts to prevent another robbery, HPD announced that they will start having more patrol units, marked and unmarked, in the area providing surveillance to those who decide to use the trails.
“What you’re going to see in this area is a lot more police presence that [are] going to be a lot more visible [including] officers in uniform, in patrol cars, on foot, on bike. I may even bring our ATVs out here to run up and down and give us a lot of presence going back and forth,” Satterwhite added.
“We want the community to stay vigilant and know that your safety could be a factor if you travel, especially in the latter part of the day down this particular area,” Councilwoman Shabazz said.
If you have any information on this case, please contact police at (713) 884-3131.
Exec. Assist Chief @Satterwhitelj Updates. Media on Incidents at 3100 Anita st. https://t.co/4O8ZheQH5u
— Houston Police (@houstonpolice) May 30, 2023