Garland teen gang member charged after burglary turns into shooting, police say
A 16-year-old faces multiple charges after a Garland burglary turned into a shooting Monday evening, authorities said.
Garland police say the teen is a gang member connected to at least 15 other crimes and was already the subject of an ongoing investigation before the Aug. 25. incident.
Garland Police officers responded to a burglary in progress in the 1800 block of Dalewood Trail around 6:10 p.m. Monday. The caller told officers that a male suspect had been inside his vehicle and had fled from his open garage on foot.
Police say the burglary victim's neighbor recognized the suspect as the same person who had targeted his vehicle two weeks prior. The teen suspect returned to the scene, and the neighbor attempted to stop him when the teen pulled out a gun and shot him. The neighbor was transported to a local hospital in critical condition, police said.
An officer approaching the area heard the gunshot and saw the 16-year-old fleeing down an alley, and a foot chase occurred. The suspect was able to jump a fence and evade being caught.
Officers secured the area, and investigators determined that the teen was hiding in a nearby residence. Officers were able to take the suspect into custody with no further incident and recovered a firearm believed to have been used in the incident that evening.
Before the teen's arrest, detectives were already in the process of obtaining arrest warrants for other crimes.
The 16-year-old is now at the Dallas County Juvenile Detention Center with multiple charges, including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, burglary of a habitation, evading arrest, seven counts of burglary of a vehicle, two counts of engaging in organized criminal activity and theft of a firearm. More charges could be added.
This is an ongoing investigation.