Robbery

Yes, Gas Station Robber, Please Stare Directly Into The Security Camera. Thank You. Next!

Being a sheriff's deputy can be a difficult job, so it's nice when the crooks give investigators all the help they can. Take one of the guys who robbed a gas station in the 1700 block of Fry Road March 18. As the two went inside about 10:30 that night, they made sure their heads -- one covered wit ... More >>

Drive-Through Robbery: Southwest Houston Chase Bank Robber Used the Convenient Drive Through for His Cash Grab

I guess bank drive-throughs aren't any different than fast-food drive-throughs. On Monday, a robber placed an order for free money at Chase Bank located on 14651 Alief Clodine road. To ensure that there was no mix-up in his order, he handed a threatening note to the teller, to which the teller comp ... More >>

FBI Agent's Glock, Purse, ID Robbed At Gas Station

Well, this is embarrassing: An FBI agent has had her government-issued Glock and her purse stolen from her car while she was at a gas station. The incident happened about 10:30 yesterday morning near the intersection of Beechnut and the West Tollway, and resulted in, we're guessing, an unwelcome ph ... More >>

Robber's "Never Mind My Bandana, I'm Just Here To Shop" Ploy Works (w/Video)

Police are looking for help in tracking down a guy who robbed a convenience store after hanging around it while wearing a bandana, apparently waiting for customers to clear out. The man, described as "a Hispanic male, 26 to 28 years of age, about 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighing 170 to 180 pounds, ... More >>

Two Tellers Tending to ATM Upkeep in a Walmart, End up Robbed

Just before 3 p.m. today, an unidentified man walked into the Woodforest National Bank inside the Walmart at 2700 Kirkwood in Houston, threatened that he had a gun and walked away with cash from two tellers. The FBI is looking for help in identifying the suspect. According to their report: At appr ... More >>

Loitering Gone Awry: Police Need Help Identifying Purse-Snatcher, Mustang

There's a sign on the outside of a halfway house on Main Street just south of Alabama that I know because I've walked past it numerous times on my way to and from Continental Club and other restaurants and bars in that block. The sign says, "No Loitering or Hanging Around in Front of Office." I've c ... More >>

Armed Man Crawls Through Drive-Thru Window To Rob Fast-Food Place (w/VIDEO)

Imagine if Santa Claus was armed and wearing a bandanna across his face. Not a very Merry Christmas, to be sure, but Kris Kringle was apparently the inspiration for one robber. The Harris County Sheriff's Office and Crime Stoppers have released surveillance video of the robbery, which features the ... More >>

Man Robbed of Whataburger Dinner at Knifepoint

You know times are tough when muggers are in the market for anything you have on you -- including a sack of fast food. A Corpus Christi man found that out firsthand when he was held up by two robbers armed with a knife and a bat this past weekend around 3 a.m. outside a Whataburger. The man, whom ... More >>

Unidentified Male, 26, Robbed in His Driveway, Bayou Body Count No. 48

A 26-year-old northside man was killed Sunday night when he met a robber on his driveway, police say. The victim, whose identity has not been released, arrived home with his family in the 300 block of San Fernando about 9 p.m. Sunday when he was confronted by "a tall, stocky black male in his 20s ... More >>

Rodrigo Rodriguez Carranza, 31, Bayou Body Count No. 25

A Greenspoint robbery turned into murder Saturday night, police say. Rodrigo Rodriguez Carranza, 31, was sitting in a car with his brother at an apartment complex at 90 Northpoint about 10:15 p.m. when "when they were approached by two male suspects who attempted to rob them," HPD says. "During the ... More >>

New Frontiers for Rice: Bank Robbery

He may not be "tall, dark & handsome," but this Comerica bank branch robber is proudly Rice, through and through. Not only is he wearing a dapper-yet-conservative business suit, he loudly displays his Owl Pride by sporting a Rice baseball cap, which, it must be said, is not the usual chapeau choice ... More >>

The "Merry Christmas" Bandit Wishes Yuletide Greetings As He Robs You

Employees of a northeast-side gas station probably were feeling a little low about 4 a.m. December 19. First, because they were working at a freaking gas station at 4 a.m. in the morning. Second, because they had just had a pistol waved in their faces by a robber demanding cash. All those blues ma ... More >>

LaDondrell Montgomery: Life Sentence for Robbery Thrown Out Because He Was in Jail at the Time

Photo via KTRKLaDondrell Montgomery had a good alibi.​If you need an alibi for a robbery, "I was in jail at the time" seems like a pretty good one. It wasn't good enough for LaDondrell Montgomery, though: He got a life sentence last month for a crime that happened while he was incarcerated. ... More >>

Phillip Little, 40, Pizza Driver Shot During Robbery, Bayou Body Count No. 170

Pizza driver killed in robbery.​A Domino's deliveryman was shot and killed during an apparent robbery on the south side of town last night. Phillip Little, 40, was found slumped over his steering wheel after an accident at the intersection of Martin Luther King Boulevard and Canterway, police ... More >>

Ike Kievit: Asks for Fight on Facebook, Later Gets One and Goes to Jail

Hurricane Ike Kievit: Looking for a fight and got one.​Back in late May, Rockport tattoo artist Ike Kievit posted this on his Facebook wall: im spent and at my wits end if you know me and are up for a good fistfight tonite with no grudge reguardless of outcome please call me, i dare any one ... More >>

Esvin Sabonluis, 27, Shot Near Richmond Strip, Bayou Body Count No. 161

Murdered near the Richmond Strip​A man walking with his wife to their car near the Richmond Strip was shot to death last night during a robbery attempt, police say. Esvin Sabonluis, 27, was killed about 9:10 p.m. in the 6200 block of Fairdale, near Fountain Vie and Richmond, HPD says. "Mr. S ... More >>

Eric Paul Morgan: Veteran Houston Robber / Thief Comes to Grief in Navasota

After a short multi-county crime spree, including an armed home invasion in Lufkin and a bank robbery in Navasota, Eric Paul Morgan sits in the Grimes County Jail. He's already been charged with bank robbery, and Lufkin police are in the process of getting a warrant for the home invasion. That was ... More >>

FBI Releases Photo of Bank Robbers Leaving Kroger

It takes a lot of chutzpah to rob a bank. Doing it in the middle of Thursday afternoon near a well-to-do neighborhood is even more bold. But choosing a bank that is inside a Kroger is damn brazen. Of course, the disadvantage of such a move is that you are likely to have your picture taken by a secu ... More >>

Is Houston's Handsome Bank Robber a Dallas Dude?

FBIThe Houston robbery​Recently we told you of the FBI's search for a man they dubbed the "handsome bank robber," who was described as being "older, well-dressed and accessorized." Those accessories included a black semiautomatic pistol, but that's just how he rolls. The item rang a bell wit ... More >>

Rob $1K from a Bank, Get Four Years; Defraud It of $100K, Get One Year

The hammer comes down, sometimes.​Yes, as through this world I've wandered I've seen lots of funny men; Some will rob you with a six-gun, And some with a fountain pen. -- Woody Guthrie, "Pretty Boy Floyd" Our advice: Do your bank robbing with the fountain pen. Or its modern equivalent. One ... More >>

Salem Saif Al Mazrouei, 28, Bayou Body Count No. 118

Foreign military officer killed in carjacking​A man was killed in a robbery near Reliant Park as he was taking his father home from treatments at the Texas Medical Center. Salem Saif Al Mazrouei, 28, is an officer in the army of the United Arab Emirates, reports UAE publication The National. ... More >>

HPD Tries to Make Convenience Stores Safer

HPDHPD officer Joe Sanchez checks out an eastside conenience store​Houston police made a point of visiting convenience stores recently to inspect how well they're set up to deter robberies, the answer to which, we assume, is "not very." But the local Stop `n' Robs, while they're always going ... More >>

Bank Robbers Now Look Like Your Dad

​Ah, a Tuesday afternoon in a Spirit of Texas Bank branch down on Bay Area Boulevard. Someone's dad is calmly waiting on line, wearing the usual dad outfit of a sport shirt, "I'm retired" stubble and -- wait a second, what's that he's holding in his hand? Your Dad's robbing a bank! The FBI s ... More >>

Auto Theft: 10 Best Houston Neighborhoods To Get Your Ride Stolen

​Houston can be a tough place to live without a car. So getting it stolen is a real bummer. And here are the 10 places where it's most likely to happen. We're not saying you need to avoid them, just be careful. The stats are from December, and as always, HPD cautions against comparing raw be ... More >>

Dijwun Morgan, The Greensheet Bandit: Not Difficult To Find

Part of a master criminal plan​The Greensheet is a good way to buy or sell a TV, a hopefully not-too-mysteriously stained mattress, or your antique china. But Dijwun Morgan found another use for it, according to Baytown police: He used it to rob people. Morgan confessed to the robberies, according ... More >>

Rob My Purse? Sure. Just Let Me Get My Cigarettes First

Take my money, sure...BUT NOT MY CIGARETTES, dammit​A classic radio skit by Jack Benny (look him up, young'uns) had his miserly character being confronted by a robber. "Your money or your life," says the robber. Loooong pause. (Benny was the master of comic timing.) "Well?" says the robber. ... More >>

Onilton Bolanos Castilon, 38; Nelson Wilfred Tambora-Ramiro, 21; and Unidentified Male, Bayou Body Count Nos. 289-91

Storeowner kills three robbers​A wild shootout as an East End jewelry store owner defended his property ended with three robbers dead Thursday aftertoon. HPD identified two of the dead robbers as Onilton Bolanos Castilon, 38 and Nelson Wilfred Tambora-Ramiro, 21. The identity of the third is ... More >>

Relax: FBI Looking for Impatient Bank Robber

Impatient robber is impatient​In October, we wondered what other manners infractions the FBI might levy against future bank robbers having already accused them of sloppy dress, chubbiness and simply being rude. We have our answer: impatience. According to the FBI, the suspect (seen in the pho ... More >>

Crime Stoppers Offers $5K Reward For...A Guy Shoplifting Some Razors?

Crime Stoppers: Organized shoplifters now a target​The latest release from Crime Stoppers is hardly a stop-the-presses kind of announcement: Crime Stoppers and Investigators with the Houston Police Department are seeking the public's assistance in identifying a man wanted for stealing razors and r ... More >>

Joseph Wade Walker: The XXXL Bandit Has Waddled His Last

Joseph Walker, XXXL​Houston has been transfixed with the livin' large antics of the XXXL Bandit, the roly-poly bank robber who was a modern-day cross between Charlie Weis and (Not So) Pretty Boy Floyd.The run -- the waddle? -- is over. The Harris County Sheriff's Office has announced today they ca ... More >>

XXXL Bandit Strikes Again, Earns FBI Respek

Photo courtesy FBISo caught up in his work, he's even ignoring the candy bowl​Earlier we brought you a tale of the biking brigands, two unrelated Huffy-rolling heisters breaking banks in far-flung suburbs around Greater Houston.Today we bring you the further adventures of their portly polar opposi ... More >>

Bike Bandits Plague Houston: FBI Seeking Duo Of Pedal-Powered Brigands

"Hurry up, my ten speed's double-parked."​At the outset, the situation couldn't have seemed more menacing. Right around the time they opened their doors this morning at the Capital One bank on Highway 6 North, a tall, lanky guy in dark clothes and a baseball hat strode up to the counter and pa ... More >>

"Fashionable Felon"? You Call This Fashionable, FBI?

Photo courtesy FBITerrible lighting, awful pose -- this is a fashion shoot?​The FBI has put out an alert for someone it's calling "The Fashionable Felon," a woman who robbed a Wachovia Bank branch on the northwest side yesterday afternoon.We realize the FBI was not created to be an arbiter of fash ... More >>

Tuaca Elaine Deason, Candidate For Worst Co-Worker Of The Year

Pretending to be a victim of your partner in crime​We've never worked in a bank, but we assume that among the worst parts of the job would involve an armed robbery where the gunman grabs you around the neck and points a gun at your head.It must make matters worse when you later find out your co-wo ... More >>

Jesus Campos, Daniel Garcia and Julio Cantu: Valley Gang Fails Attempted Crime Spree

The Fail is strong in these younglings​You'd think the three Rio Grande Valley teenagers might have realized it wasn't their night after their second attempt at an armed robbery failed. You would underestimate the persistence of this Borderlands gang that couldn't shoot straight.Fail #1: It all st ... More >>

Police Need Help Finding Bank Robber, Identifying Sports Team Logos

Photo courtesy of the FBI​The Houston FBI and Richmond Police Department are looking for a man who robbed a Capitol One Bank in Richmond this morning. Like most criminal masterminds, he apparently felt it was OK to basically stare at the security camera because his sunglasses and baseball cap ... More >>

Cops Looking For Guys Who Almost Pulled Off Well-Planned Home Invasion

​It was a little after 8 p.m. on Monday when a convenience store owner pulled up in front of his suburban home in northwest Houston. With his keys in hand, he walked up to his front door, just like he always did, no doubt happy to finally spend a little quality time with his wife and two kids and ... More >>

Please, Houston Bank Robbers: Put Some Effort Into Your Disguise

Photos courtesy FBI​ Oh, Houston bank robbers, you continue to disappoint. But few disappoint more than this guy, who hit a westside Randall's yesterday.The FBI has dubbed him the "Rasta Robber," but we feel that's giving the dude too much credit. The feds say he was a black male who "sported a dr ... More >>

Bayou Body Count: A Stench At The Airport

​George Bush Intercontinental Airport may not be on the same level as mythic Mafioso burial grounds such as JFK in New York or the airport in Newark, N.J., but it still finds a stiff every once in a while.Last week, airport police got a call about a terrible stench coming from the parking lot of t ... More >>

Repeat Subway Robber Hits the Same Sandwich Shop Three Times

A disgruntled ex-Subway mascot, perhaps?​Fresh bread, healthy options, elaborate sneeze-guards -- some people just really love Subway. And Crime Stoppers and local law enforcement are asking for the public's help in identifying "The Repeat Subway Robber" -- a dude who's robbed the Subway at 2 ... More >>

R.I.P. Frankie Cooper of Grave Robbers

[Update: Rocks Off has learned Cooper had a congenital defect that enlarged his heart. See the comments section for information on the July 10 memorial show at Walter's on Washington.] Word has come through the Houston music world that we have lost yet another young musician. Details are very few an ... More >>

The Reckless Robber Goes For The Bald Look

Now the Reckless Robber is just toying with us.He pulled off his sixth bank robbery Wednesday, but -- much more importantly -- he abandoned the silver-hair trademark that had sent the FBI's PR department into paroxysms of outrage.The dude is now bald. In the latest security-camera video, he looks li ... More >>

The Bank Robbery Record Has Been Broken!

Last year was a banner year for bank robberies in Houston, more than doubling the number from the year before.But last year's record has already tumbled, and we've still got a month to go.Doing their best to help in that effort are the robbers who keep hitting the IBC branch bank at 3939 Montrose, n ... More >>

Crime-Fighting Tactic: Just Say No

Plague Of The Nicknamed Bandits

The Devil You Say

Was Jeffery Prible the cold-blooded murderer of an entire family? Or the gullible target of an opportunistic jailhouse informant?

Gang of One

Critics say cops and prosecutors are too quick to label some minorities as gangsters

Death (Row) Watch

Odell Barnes joins a growing list of death row inmates whose convictions have become a lot less clear-cut during the appeals process.

News of the Weird

Bullet Proof

The D.A.'s office gets under the skin of an accused robber