'Crime spree' ends with arrest of El Paso teens with gun inside bar in Five Points

Daniel Borunda, El Paso Times
·2 min read
10

A Saturday morning "crime spree" ended with three teenagers detained after a 17-year-old boy with a gun allegedly threatened people inside a bar in the Five Points area, El Paso police officials said.

A 14-year-old boy and a 17-year-old girl were taken into custody along with the 17-year-old boy as detectives continue talking to witnesses and tally up charges as part of an ongoing investigation at various locations.

The teens were arrested at 9:55 a.m. Saturday after a police detective working at the annual Black History Month Parade was flagged down by two people saying that a man with a gun was threatening people inside the nearby Coconuts Bar & Grill, 816 N. Piedras St., police said.

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Coconuts Bar and Grill, 816 N. Piedras St., is in the Five Points area of El Paso.
Coconuts Bar and Grill, 816 N. Piedras St., is in the Five Points area of El Paso.

The detective entered the bar and witnesses pointed out to the teens, who were then ordered to the ground until backup officers arrived and helped place them into custody, police said.

Police said that the ongoing investigation has found that the teens were allegedly involved in a rash of violent armed robberies starting in the far East Side and then the Central area that morning.

Teens suspected in armed robbery rash

1:09 a.m.: The first reported crime. A 27-year-old man was beaten, threatened with a gun and robbed in the parking lot of Undisputed Craft House, 1881 Saul Kleinfeld Drive near Montwood Drive. The man received minor injuries, police said.

2:26 a.m.: The two teen boys allegedly stole items and used a gun to threaten a store clerk at the Valero gas station at 2300 Zaragoza Road by Tierre Este Road, police said.

6:22 a.m.: The two boys allegedly threatened a clerk with the gun, demanded money and also stole beer and other items during a robbery at the DK convenience store, 1733 Brown St. and Murchison Drive, police said.

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More than three hours later, the spree would come to an end inside the Coconuts bar, located a block south from El Paso Police Headquarters.

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The names of the teenagers have not been disclosed as detectives keep gathering evidence and the investigation continues. The girl is from the Central area and the two boys are from the East Side, police officials added.

Under Texas law, crime suspects 17 and older are considered adults and go to adult jails, courts and the prison system, if convicted.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: 'Crime spree' ends with arrest of teens with gun inside El Paso bar