Police: Neighborhood search was unfounded

A land and air search in a San Marcos neighborhood last week was launched by a hoax.

Residents in the Saddlebrook neighborhood were essentially placed on lockdown on Tuesday, Oct. 30, as police sought an individual “possibly armed and dangerous.”

Residents were urged to stay in their homes, and anyone who did not need to be in the area was urged to avoid it as the two and a half hour search — that involved the San Marcos Police Department, Hays County Sheriff’s Office, San Marcos Park Rangers, local DPS troopers, a helicopter from the Austin Police Aviation Unit and two K-9 units from New Braunfels — was conducted.

Police were acting on a description of a Hispanic male who was described in detail — including his name, tattoo and clothing.

On Friday, the Daily Record requested an update through City Hall and received the following from Lauren Volpe, a marketing and multimedia specialist in the City Manager’s Office:

“Two individuals were apprehended for reckless driving. When they were apprehended, the suspects informed police that there was a third individual that had been in the car earlier and was now at large in the Saddlebrook neighborhood, armed and possibly dangerous,” she wrote.

“SMPD immediately began efforts to locate this third individual. Reports of an armed suspect must be investigated immediately and thoroughly in the interest of public safety. After reviewing video footage, officers determined that there was no third person in the car, and the story of a third armed suspect had been fabricated by the two original suspects. The person that the two suspects had described was not in town at the time.”

Police Chief Chase Stapp also weighed in. “It’s easy in hindsight to look back and think we wasted a bunch of resources,” he said.

He explained that the incident began when an officer observed a vehicle in Interstate 35 “driving erratically” both on the interstate proper and the shoulder. “When the officer attempted to stop the vehicle the driver evaded him. The officer quickly canceled the pursuit out of concern for safety.”

He said a short time later, someone called to report a reckless driver in the Saddlebrook neighborhood. “This led officers to begin patrolling that area in search of the vehicle,” which Stapp said was located in front of a residence.

“In the moments following a police chase followed by the apprehension of two people, the officers made the correct decision to act upon the information given them,” Stapp continued.

“The description given to them was detailed and contained specific facts about a handgun. If the officers were to automatically dismiss that information and it were later discovered to be true, we would be facing a good deal of warranted criticism.”