A man allegedly killed the suspect who stole his truck in a chaotic shootout.
The shopper whose car went missing from its South Park Mall parking spot Thursday tracked down and shot two thieves who stole his vehicle on the opposite side of the mall, according to KENS 5.
Man tracks down his stolen vehicle, shoots suspect dead https://t.co/67ZVtt6TSd
— wake1up (@n2oneness) July 28, 2023
The owner found one male thief and one female thief inside his vehicle and pointed a gun at the pair, the San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) said.
The male thief then shot the owner and was killed when the man returned fire, SAPD reported. (RELATED: San Francisco Walgreens Robbed On Air During CNN Segment)
“Certainly a case of self-defense, is what we have,” said SAPD Chief William McManus. “We would prefer that they call the police before taking that into your own hands, but he did what he felt he needed to do.”
“The victim was my brother and there are two sides to every story,” Jose Garcia, the male thief’s brother, told KENS 5. “Whether my brother was wrong or right, he had a gun pointed at him. I guess he took it upon himself to defend himself.”
Texas Penal Code justifies the car owner’s actions, defense attorney Nico LaHood claimed.
“Citizens have the right to prevent the consequences of a theft,” the former Bexar County district attorney said. “In that prevention of consequences, you can use force to prevent a theft. You can use physical force, but the law also says you can display a weapon. That is considered force, but it’s not considered deadly force.”
McManus said it is unknown whether charges will be filed. The investigation is ongoing.