Overview
- Austin police linked 12 shootings across South and East Austin over Saturday and Sunday, leaving four people hurt, including one who was critically injured and later stabilized.
- The suspects, three teens, were arrested in Manor on Sunday after a traffic stop on a stolen white Kia Optima, with 17-year-old Cristian Fajardo Mondragon booked and two younger boys detained.
- Investigators say the group used at least five stolen cars and carried stolen guns, including a firearm taken Saturday from Central Texas Gun Works and a prior gun theft tied to the 17-year-old.
- Officials described the attacks as largely random, with homes, cars, businesses, and two fire stations hit, and they credited a license-plate reader alert and a nearly 200-officer, multi-agency search for the arrests.
- Police said Monday they plan multiple charges such as aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, deadly conduct, and unauthorized use of a vehicle, and they asked for tips to APD or Crime Stoppers with a reward up to $1,000.