SMPD Urges Residents To Lock Their Cars, Take Keys Inside

The San Marcos Police Department is urging residents to take common, easy steps to safeguard their belongings and vehicles.

“The beginning of the semester is an active time for vehicle burglaries and thefts,” said Bob Klett, Assistant Chief of Police. “We’re asking all residents, especially newcomers and students, to protect their valuables and safeguard their vehicles.”

Police are asking residents to:

• Lock their vehicles
• Take valuable belongings and car keys with them
• Hide any valuables they must leave in their cars from sight or, better yet, secure them in the trunk or glove compartment

San Marcos has seen an uptick of vehicle burglaries since the fall semester began. The most recent incidents involved multiple vehicle thefts and two simultaneous vehicle pursuits to Austin early Tuesday morning.

Officers were dispatched to the Sienna Pointe Apartments on Hunter Road at 2:24 a.m. Tuesday when the owner of a GMC pickup reported that it was being driven away from the property.

Patrol officers searched the area and found four vehicles lined up on Hunters Hill Road facing Stagecoach trail, with the GMC at the back of the line. As an SMPD patrol car approached, the vehicles drove off and turned onto Hunter Road. Two of the vehicles collided near McCarty, and the drivers were arrested.

The two other vehicles, a black Toyota Tundra and a silver Honda SUV, led officers on a pursuit north on IH-35 to Austin. Officers say the driver of the Tundra drove very recklessly and eventually abandoned the vehicle in Austin. He was arrested after a foot pursuit aided by the Austin Police Department.

The Honda led officers into a residential section of Austin off of US 290 and was abandoned by the driver, identified as Austin resident Christian Pacheco (DOB 3-18-99). The vehicle was abandoned near Pacheco’s home and will be processed by APD as it was stolen from Austin. Officers found a backpack which is believed to have been stolen from another car burglarized in San Marcos.

Two of the vehicles that were stolen were taken from a nearby residential neighborhood in San Marcos and had the keys left in them.

“While police were in the area and quick to respond, it took a citizen to see something and report it so that our communications and patrol teams could help catch these out-of-town criminals preying on our community,” Klett said.

Pacheco remains at large; the three other suspects were juveniles from Austin, all of whom have previous vehicle theft offenses on their records.