Rio Grande City police say a masked robbery inside a vape shop turned into a foot chase through the brush. Officers say the same man later punched a nurse in the face at the hospital.
Rene Javier Pena is now charged with several felonies tied to the case. El Tejano got the sworn police complaints through a Texas Public Information Act request to the Starr County Sheriff's Office.
The case shows how one violent morning turned into a long list of charges. The charges run from armed robbery to assault on a hospital worker. Court records also show Pena has a criminal history that goes back 20 years.
It started early. Police got a call about an armed robbery at Vape City, on East U.S. Highway 83 in Rio Grande City. The call came in at 3:19 a.m. on July 13, 2026. Officer Jesse Morin was one of the first officers on the scene, according to his complaint.
A masked man in a red shirt, jeans, a cap and gloves walked into the store, the complaint says. He carried a box cutter wrapped in a blue bag. He grabbed a customer, Nicolas Borrego Jr., and held the blade to his neck. Borrego got a small cut on his neck. The masked man demanded money, according to the complaint filed by Detective Monika Ramirez.
A second masked man wore camouflage. He pointed a black handgun at people inside the store and demanded cash too, the complaint says. A third person waited outside in a red Nissan Sentra. Store worker Jose Roelio Bermea opened the cash register. The robbers got away with about $250. They also smashed a glass display case, breaking about 60 items worth around $2,589, according to the complaint.
Starr County deputies spotted the Nissan Sentra fleeing the store. They found it left near Guerra Street. Deputies caught a man in a red shirt close to the car. He was identified as Jerry Rivera. Rivera now faces his own charges tied to the robbery, records show.
Rio Grande City officers chased a second man on foot into a wooded area nearby. Officer Morin says he heard yelling in the brush. He called for the man to come out. The man did not answer. After a short chase through heavy brush, officers caught him and identified him as Rene Javier Pena. The complaints do not say which of the two masked men inside the store was Pena. When officers tried to handcuff him, Pena tucked his arms under his stomach and chest. This stopped them from cuffing him at first, the complaint says. After a brief struggle, he gave up and let officers cuff him.
Because of the robbery, Pena is charged with Aggravated Robbery. That is a first-degree felony that can mean 5 to 99 years or life in prison. He is also charged with Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity while using a deadly weapon. That is another first-degree felony. The complaint says he allegedly acted together with Rivera and a third person police have not identified. He faces a Criminal Mischief charge too, a state jail felony, for the damaged merchandise. On top of that, he is charged with Resisting Arrest. He also faces Evading Arrest with a prior conviction, a state jail felony. That charge ties back to a 2006 evading arrest case on his record, under cause number CR-06-663.
Later that same day, hospital staff at Starr County Memorial Hospital medically discharged Pena. Patrol Officer Lino Cavazos Jr. was placing him into a marked patrol unit outside the hospital. Pena refused to get in, according to the complaint. Registered Nurse Erick Ramirez was helping the officer load Pena into the car at the time. Pena punched the nurse in the face with a closed fist, the complaint says. Pena now faces a charge of Assault of Hospital Personnel on Hospital Property. That is a third-degree felony. It can mean 2 to 10 years in prison.
All of the charges against Pena come from sworn complaints. He has not been convicted of any of them. A second man, Jerry Rivera, also faces charges connected to the robbery, records show. It is not yet clear when Pena or Rivera will next appear in court. El Tejano will keep following the case as it moves through the Starr County court system.
