Police: Panhandling Couple Lured to Warmth of Man’s Home, Then Robbed and Assaulted

SAN ANGELO, TX — San Angelo police have arrested a man accused of robbing a transient couple at gunpoint inside his residence late Monday night.

The Investigation began around 10 p.m. Monday when police were dispatched to Shannon Medical Center for the report of an assault victim. 

The victim, age 30, and his 29-year-old girlfriend were panhandling near the Stripes Convenience Store at 1606 La Follette Street when they met a man who offered them refuge from the cold. 

After retrieving money from a nearby Western Union, the couple accompanied the man to a residence in northeast San Angelo where they were subsequently robbed at gunpoint.  The suspect allegedly threatened to kill the couple if they reported the incident to police and struck the man with a fist or object, injuring him. Then the couple was forced out of the residence at gunpoint.

Following a lengthy investigation by the Department’s Criminal Investigations Division, Detectives pursued leads and conducted surveillance on a residence in the 1600 block of Beacon Street. 

As a result, members of the Department’s Criminal Investigations, Street Crimes, and Patrol Divisions located and arrested Albert Garcia, 27, of San Angelo. 

Police said investigators also located a firearm inside Garcia’s residence.  Garcia was transported to SAPD Headquarters for an interview and was subsequently charged with two counts of Aggravated Robbery.

Police said they aren’t done yet and more charges may be filed.