Austin Police Department investigators are seeking public help in apprehending multiple individuals believed to be responsible for a string of recent robberies.
The first of seven robberies reported took place Thursday and in five days, the males allegedly robbed six more individuals. The latest robbery took place Tuesday morning in the 7000 block of Burnell Drive at about 6:30 a.m.
Investigators suspect two to five men are targeting and robbing individuals as they go to work. Police described the men in their late teens or early 20s, each ranging from 5 feet 6 inches to 6 feet tall with thin builds.
APD Detective Billy Parks said the department has not identified the males. He said they have targeted mostly Hispanic individuals.
“At this point, all our information is general,” Parks said. “We are asking people to be aware of their surroundings.”
The robberies were all committed in Central East and Northeast Austin neighborhoods and have predominately taken place in the parking lots of apartment complexes, according to an APD release.
APD spokesman Cpl. Scott Perry said investigators will not know if the robberies are organized until they find the identities of the men.
“We don’t know who the suspects are,” Perry said. “We don’t know if it’s just a group of friends that got together and started robbing people.”
Investigators suspect the seven cases are related because victims’ and witness’ accounts indicate the robberies were committed in similar fashions, but Parks said that may not necessarily prove the cases are related to one another.
Parks said the robbers approach their victims and demand cash, and, most of the time, their faces are covered.
“It’s pretty basic,” Parks said. “They’ve displayed handguns, things like that. It’s not very cost-effective when they can go to jail.”
Parks would not comment on how much money the males have taken.
“We want people to be vigilant,” Parks said. “We want people to know what is happening.”
Individuals with any information about these robberies or the suspects are asked to call the Robbery Hotline at 974-5092 or Crime Stoppers at 472-8447.
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