A man was recently arrested in San Angelo after a shooting incident and subsequent ground search. The Texas man has been accused of shooting at a group of local plant employees when they encountered him allegedly attempting to steal a company vehicle. He faces serious criminal charges resulting from the incident.
Just after noon, the group of employees left the plant and went outside to a company-owned area of woods next to the plant. As they were walking in the woods, they claim that they saw a man attempting to burglarize a company vehicle. The employees claim that the man was carrying a handgun, and he allegedly opened fire. The number of shots fired was unclear since no shell casings were reportedly found at the scene and none of the employees were hit.
The San Angelo Police Department, the Texas Department of Public Safety and Border Patrol Agents quickly responded to the scene. They set out on a three-hour ground search in an effort to locate the suspect. When they found the man, he claimed that he was in “medical distress,” and he was taken to an area hospital. After his release, he was taken to the Tom Green County Jail.
The 26-year-old was formally charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and being a felon in possession of a firearm. He could face over 100 years imprisonment if convicted of both criminal charges. However, any time a person is arrested in Texas, that person remains innocent until, and only if, proved guilty in court. In the meantime, the man has certain legal rights that he will likely want to protect as he begins his criminal process.
Source: gosanangelo.com, “Police arrest suspected Ethicon shooter“, Michelle Gaitan, Sept. 23, 2014