Police: Alert Citizens Assist in Arrest of Auto Burglary Suspect
Posted/updated on: January 8, 2012 at 5:46 am
TYLER — Tyler police are crediting some citizens with helping in an arrest. Shortly after 11:15 Friday morning, Tyler police were notified that several citizens were chasing an auto burglary suspect in the area of Paluxy and Loop 323. Police say the suspect, identified as Gabriel Harris, 23, of Tyler, was observed acting suspicious in a business parking lot located at 1828 ESE Loop 323. A witness reportedly saw Harris enter a parked vehicle and remove a woman’s purse.
Several men from the office building gave chase attempting to apprehend the suspect. Police say Harris threw the purse down in the nearby Texaco gas station parking lot and ran into a bathroom of an office building in the 3800 block of Paluxy. A City of Tyler waste disposal employee and Starbucks employee along with the original witnesses all chased the suspect and apprehended him until police arrived on the scene.
Harris is charged with auto burglary that is enhanced to a state jail felony due to prior convictions. According to a news release, “The Tyler Police Department would like to thank the citizens for their involvement in bringing this suspect to justice and recovering the stolen purse.” The Tyler Police Department reminds you not to leave purses or electronic items in your vehicle that may be stolen.
