Robbery Suspects Caught Pushing Getaway Truck

Trio possibly connected to crimes in multiple cities

MERCEDES - Three teen robbery suspects were found on the side of the road, pushing their getaway truck.

"Apparently the subjects had run out of gas in our city... on Mile 2 East and the expressway frontage road," says Mercedes Police Chief Olga Maldonado.

Officers in Alamo and Weslaco had been searching for the three teens since early this morning.

"We did receive a teletype from Alamo reporting they had just had a robbery at one of their La Quintas," the Mercedes police chief tells us.

Shortly after the crime in Alamo, Weslaco police officers responded to robberies at a hotel and convenience store. Police tell us the clerks were threatened with an axe.

The suspects led Weslaco police on a high-speed chase and managed to get away.

The Mercedes Police Department posted all available officers at open convenience stories, restaurants, and hotels. Then the suspects' truck was spotted on the side of the road. The three men were pushing it.

Police arrested David Garza, Rene Villalobos, and Leonel Gutierrez III.

They were caught near a La Quinta Inn in Mercedes. Police suspect that was their next target.

We're told the three teens could be responsible for other robberies across Hidalgo County.

Rolando Garcia of the San Juan Police Department says, "From the investigation, from what we're getting that Weslaco recovered, it looks like these guys are the ones that have been hitting us, as well as some other cities around the Valley."

Garcia won't release how they're connecting the three suspects to other crimes. But he tells us he believes at least one, if not all of these men, are involved.

"Hopefully with these guys being caught... some of these robberies are going to stop," he says.

More police departments from the Upper Valley are expected to look into the case to see if these men match any of their recent robberies.

Garza, Villalobos, and Gutierrez are set to go before a judge this afternoon.