Sugar Land mayor robbed at gunpoint in his driveway

[kirock7]

I guess I'll be toting the .45 instead of the LCP while walking the dogs from now on:

Sugar Land's mayor was robbed in his driveway as he returned home from a city council meeting, police said today.

About 8 p.m. Tuesday, Mayor James Thompson told officers he pulled into his driveway in the 2600 block of Hodges Bend Circle and got out of his SUV when a man tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around to discover he was at gunpoint, and the robber demanded money and anything else of value.

Thompson complied, asking that he be allowed to keep his credit cards -- which he tossed to the ground -- and the thief made off with more than $80 in cash, some spare change from his vehicle and Thompson's mobile phone, he said.

The robber threatened to shoot Thompson if he kept looking at him, then told him to crawl underneath the back of his SUV as he fled on foot. The mayor called 911 once the man was gone.

Thompson, who in a news conference today cautioned his constituents to be careful and aware of their surroundings, was not injured.

"I think the real message is, it could happen to anybody," Thompson said.

Police believe the robbery might be connected to a similar holdup last week in another part of Sugar Land. In that case, a man was also robbed in front of his house in the 1300 block of Meadow Lakes Drive around 6:20 p.m. on Nov. 11. That victim was struck in the head.

The suspect in Thompson's robbery was described as a black man in his early 20s with a thin build, Sugar Land police spokesman Doug Adolph said.

Crime Stoppers is offering up to a $5,000 award for information that leads to an arrest or charge in the case.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/hot ... 26825.html

[Familyman1993]

This is just getting to be ridiculous. Increase in robberies, home invasions and a string of mass shootings! All the more reason to be armed and ready to defend as well as a good dose of situational awareness. Thank God we can be legally be armed in Texas! I’d hate to be in Kalifornia!

[Venus Pax]

Sugar Land has the highest per capita income in the state. This proves that being in a "nice" place doesn't insulate you from crime.
(I keep trying to explain that to a few friends and relatives, who simply repeat "But we live in ____________".)

[dubya]

I understand your point familyman, and I agree, but, how would being armed help you when you turn around to a gun in your face?
It might. I'd rather have the option if it escalates. But once the mayor, the victim, let the perp in his immediate area he had a serious problem.

[yerasimos]

This happened uncomfortably close to where I was at the time, though I only knew of it after reading the Comical's article.

I think the really key item here is the situational awareness that Familyman1993 mentioned, and that requires open eyes, an active mind and a moving head. Couple this with developing a smooth routine for transitioning between being on your feet and getting your vehicle moving, so you minimize the duration of time that you are seated in a stationary vehicle with your feet in front of your hips (bad!). Walking around your own vehicle once or twice, with a flashlight in hand when dark, and hairy-eyeballing surrounding vehicles in a parking lot has to become mandatory practice. Unfortunately I frequently have a head full of thoughts during the walking-driving transition, when I should be watching for malandros such as the guy who mugged Sugar Land's mayor, so I really have to focus upon executing this transition properly going forward.

[GlockFan]

Seems like we are getting more and more of this out here.

[KingofKaty]

A 3rd driveway robbery in Fort Bend County. This time in the Greatwood development.

http://www.ultimatefortbend.com/2009/11/hed" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Greatwood man, daughter robbed at Gunpoint

Another driveway robbery has taken place in Fort Bend County, this time in the Greatwood area just outside of the Sugar Land city limits.

The latest crime happened at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday as a 53-year-old man was coming home in the 1100 block of Oak Glen Lane. (See map of area by clicking here.)

The man told Fort Bend County Sheriff's investigators that he and his daughter were approached in their driveway by a man with a gun.

The robber told them to shut up and asked what was in a grocery bag the man was carrying, according to a news release issued this afternoon by the sheriff's office.

"The victim threw the bag of groceries and his wallet out into the driveway hoping this would keep the robber away from him and his daughter," the release states.

The robber ordered the man to lie on the driveway while he went through the grocery items and the man's pockets, taking the house and car keys. During this time, the man's daughter was hiding behind a nearby fence.

At some point, the robber hit the man in the head and face with the gun and told him to shut up.

"The victim stated that the suspect walked through the privacy gate and was apparently going to make entry into the residence through the rear door, but was scared away by a barking dog inside the residence," the release states.

When the robber spotted the girl behind the fence, he threatened to kill her if she did not remain quiet. He also threatend to shoot the dog.

After the robber fled, police were called. The robber is described as being black, between 16 and 25 years old, 6 feet 2 inches to 6 feet 4 inches tall, and having an athletic build.

The pants he was wearing had a single stripe running down the pant leg.

[Shorts]

Lately I've been very aware of who's behind me when I'm on my way home. If I even suspect I'm being followed, even if it is just a coincidence, I keep driving and don't head to my place. These things happen way too often and these are just reminders to heed.

[llanite]

It looks like this guy is not following you in his car but parking around a corner and hiding close to your driveway/walking the neighborhood looking for opportunities.

This last incident was two miles from my house. He looks smart - changed neighborhoods after each of the three incidents. The increasingly threatening language he's using looks like escalation as he becomes more comfortable with his power role. Or maybe I've been watching too much Criminal Minds... Be careful out there!

[M4Dogg]

Simple fix:

1. Use your garage, throw out all the needless crap you have in there now and park your car in there!
2. Close the garage door after pulling in (while monitoring your mirrors carefully) and wait until it is fully closed before exiting your vehicle.

[Shorts]

Simple fix:

1. Use your garage, throw out all the needless crap you have in there now and park your car in there!
2. Close the garage door after pulling in (while monitoring your mirrors carefully) and wait until it is fully closed before exiting your vehicle.

For those of you who's truck fits in the garage

[1981]

Yeah, Sugar Land is pretty wealthy but you can stand at the City limits and hit slum conditions with a baseball. I used to work for the City there and one of our biggest problems was all of the rifraf comming in from Htown, robbing everyone, and then going back. It will only get worse.

[chabouk]

Yeah, Sugar Land is pretty wealthy but you can stand at the City limits and hit slum conditions with a baseball. I used to work for the City there and one of our biggest problems was all of the rifraf comming in from Htown, robbing everyone, and then going back. It will only get worse.

There is no "good area" as long as criminals have access to transportation.