3 Southland Burglars Busted for Gun Theft

Just before 6:30 a.m. Friday morning, San Angelo Police Officers were dispatched to the 2900 block of San Antonio Street for the report of suspicious subjects attempting to burglarize vehicles in the area.

Upon arrival, officers learned the suspicious subjects had just pulled into the Greystone Apartment complex, were unloading bags from a red Pontiac G5, and taking them inside one of the apartments.

Officers went to the complex, located the suspect vehicle, and detained an occupant who was identified as 19-year-old Lorenzo Sandoval. During a visual check of the vehicle, officers observed a high-powered rifle in the front passenger compartment but Sandoval was unable to provide them with the gun owner’s name.

During a consent search of the vehicle, officers located a large amount of suspected stolen property and a small amount of suspected marijuana.     

While officers were checking the rifle’s serial numbers to determine if it was stolen, Dispatch began to receive numerous calls for vehicle burglaries in the Southland area.  It was also learned that the suspicious vehicle seen in the Southland burglaries matched the red Pontiac. 

While at the scene, two Hispanic males exited the apartment in question. They were detained and identified as 17-year-old Roy Munoz and a 16-year-old juvenile.

Consent was obtained to enter the apartment to conduct a search for evidence, and once inside, officers located a second rifle, handguns, and a large amount of suspected stolen property. The property was seized and tagged into evidence.

At the conclusion of a lengthy investigation, Sandoval, Munoz, and the 16-year-old juvenile were charged with Theft of a Firearm and transported to the Tom Green County Jail and Juvenile Detention Center. 

The recovered property has been linked to at least eight burglaries from Southland neighborhoods. Detective Kelly Lajoie is the lead investigator on this case. This investigation is ongoing and additional charges may be filed pending the outcome of this investigation.