Burglary Suspects Lead Police On Chase

A burglary in north Austin led police on a chase that ended in a crash.

On Friday afternoon, a vehicle crashed into a pole on Georgian near Rundberg after being chased by police.

It all started with a burglary at a home in the 1500 block of Jersey Dr. in North Austin. Police say the suspects fled the scene in a blue suburban. They eventually abandoned the suburban in the 10000 block of Brownie Drive and got into a blue Cadillac.

Police chased after the car until it crashed into a pole. Three suspects fled on foot, two were taken into custody and one is still on the run. APD's helicopter was dispatched to search for the suspect.

One suspect was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

Police say the suspects are in their late teens and early 20s and one of them was possibly armed.

Police have not filed charges yet but do believe these suspects are linked to other burglaries.

Despite seeing this kind of crime on a regular basis, some residents are determined to make a change in that area.

“I've been in this area for almost 20 years now,” said Juanita Spears, a resident in the Rundberg area.

Spears is used to seeing police respond to crime in her neighborhood.

“It's an every day occurrence, sad to say it, but it's true,” said Spears.

She wasn't that surprised to hear a crash, the result of a police chase, just down her street.

“I just heard a loud crash and I came out and saw a lot of police officers,” said Spears. “I know the procedure to go inside, lock my doors and stay inside.”

But Spears is determined not to live that way forever. She's involved with her neighborhood association and tries to get to know police officers in the area.

“We have different agencies that work together, neighborhood watches as well as clean ups we do in the area so we can get to know our neighbors,” said Spears. “Last year, police installed surveillance cameras in the area to help solve crime and cut down on the crime rate.”

Police monitor the cameras around the clock and communicate with officers patrolling the area.

“I'm very grateful for APD security around here,” said Spears.

She believes the more police and residents work together, that her crime-ridden neighborhood can change.

“This is home to us and just because there's crime in this area does not mean there are people that don't care about their community because we do care,” said Spears.

Police say the cameras have led to arrests and they will continue to monitor the crime rate in the area.