NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas – Two San Antonio teens were arrested in New Braunfels after they were caught breaking into vehicles and then led officers on a chase early Tuesday morning, according to the New Braunfels Police Department.
Joe Angel Puente, 18, and an unidentified 16-year-old were both taken into police custody.
According to police, just before 9 a.m. officers responded to the 600 block of North Business 35 after receiving a call about several men forcibly breaking into cars in a shopping center parking lot.
Police said officers arrived and saw three people trying to flee in a gray car. That’s when, police say, the vehicle led officers on a chase down North Business 35, shortly before crashing into a curb near the intersection of Hidalgo Avenue.
The three suspects then tried to run away, but two of the suspects were caught by officers, police said. The third suspect, however, remains at large and is believed to have left the area.
Authorities say inside the vehicle officers found many stolen items, including guns, electronics and illegal drugs.
Puente was taken to Comal County Jail and is charged with burglary of a motor vehicle, evading arrest, unlawful carrying of a weapon and engaging in organized criminal activity. The unidentified teen was taken to a juvenile detention center and is also charged with the same offenses, police said.
The NBPD said due to the police activity, an elementary school, Lone Star Elementary, was placed on two brief lockouts as a precaution.
The investigation into the car burglaries and the search for the third suspect is ongoing, police said.