Police say same suspects were behind Sept. 28 case

San Marcos Police believe two suspects who abducted a local man and then stole his car in September may have struck again.

According to a press release from the city, a woman avoided being held up at gunpoint by dialing 911 late Monday night after she was approached by two armed men in the driveway of a home off Candlelight Lane in the Sunset Acres subdivision.

City spokesman Trey Hatt said the men were in a white four-door passenger car that was apparently following the woman, though she did not realize it until it pulled in the driveway behind her. 

Police said the case bore similarities to one that occurred early on Sunday, Sept. 23 where a man was approached by two strangers while he was in his vehicle in a parking lot at Cabana Beach Apartments on Sadler Drive.

The city’s press release differed sharply from an account given to the the San Marcos Daily Record right after the initial incident. Police said then that both suspects got into the victim’s car; the release issued on Thursday said only one did while the other followed in a car that closely matches the description of the one the woman said followed her.

The victim in the first incident was forced to drive to the 1500 block of East McCarty Lane where he was told to leave his car, which he did.

His cell phone was still it, however, and police used the “track my iPhone” app to locate the vehicle  in Austin, where it was later recovered by Austin police. Both suspects remained at large.

Both victims reportedly said one of the suspects was white and the other black and that both appeared to be “young.” Both were reportedly wearing hooded sweatshirts with hoods drawn and bandanas covering their faces.

Police are urging residents to be vigilant and, if they suspect they are being followed, to call 911 and drive to SMPD headquarters or any well-lit, populated area. They also advise avoiding “sitting in your vehicle and not paying attention to your surrounding or being preoccupied with a mobile device.”

Anyone with any information is urged to call 512-753-2306. Callers who wish to remain anonymous can contact Crime Stoppers at 800-324-TIPS.