A man walked up to a woman in her car. He pressed something against her side. He said he had a gun. She gave him her purse. He took the cash and ran.
Police caught him the same night.
The robbery happened Wednesday at about 6:31 p.m. A store parking lot at the 5600 block of San Bernardo Avenue in Laredo was the scene.
The man wore a medical mask. He came up to the woman while she sat in her car. He pressed an object against her waist. She thought it was a gun. He told her it was. He demanded her purse.
She handed it over. He grabbed the cash and ran off.
Crimes Against Persons detectives took the case. They looked at cameras near the parking lot. They also used the Flock Safety system. That is a city camera network police use to track cars.
The system spotted the suspect's car in downtown Laredo at about 9:16 p.m. Officers found the car in the 800 block of Santa Ursula Avenue.
They stopped the driver. His name was Juan Manuel Vasquez-Leyva. He is 38 years old.
Detectives took him to police headquarters. He told them he did it.
Police charged him with aggravated robbery. That is a serious crime. Under Texas law it can mean 5 to 99 years in prison, or life.
It is not known if the suspect used a real gun.
The robbery call came in at 6:31 p.m. Police found the car at 9:16 p.m. That is less than three hours. The Flock Safety system helped make it happen that fast.
The case is still open.
