Citizen Tip Leads to Burglary Suspect’s Arrest

TYLER — A Tyler man is arrested on a variety of charges, including burglary. The arrest came after a call from a person reported seeing a man walking down the street carrying a window air conditioner. The call came in just before 3:00 Sunday afternoon in the vicinity of Tenneha and Nutbush. Arriving officers were told by others that the man had been observed knocking on doors and trying to open windows. One witness said that he had observed this subject enter a home by removing the air conditioner and then climbing in through the opening.

Officers went to this residence and were not able to get anyone to answer the door but heard noise inside. They believed that the suspect was hiding in this residence. Officers then saw the man looking at them through the window. The suspect refused to come out and ran from the house. One citizen attempted to tackle the suspect but was unable to stop him.

When the suspect ran into a wooded area, officers formed a perimeter. The suspect emerged from the woods and continued running but was taken into custody in the area of Bois D’arc and Martin Luther King. The suspect was identified as Artavious Travon Harris, 20, of Tyler. he was found to already have a warrant for his arrest from the Tyler Police Department for Burglary of a Habitation. While on scene Harris confessed that he had in fact unlawfully entered the residence at 1909 Tenneha to burglarize it.

Harris was transported to the Smith County Jail and booked in for the arrest warrant charge of Burglary of a Habitation. In addition, Harris was charged on-sight for another count of burglary of a habitation, evading arrest, and fail to identify as a fugitive.