A teen was abducted, beaten, and shot at on a public street in Texas’s Colony Ridge development, which has become a hotbed for crime and is the subject of a special legislative session next week.
The incident at Colony Ridge, a land development that has become a hub for illegal immigrants, resulted in the arrest of a juvenile suspect, who was charged with aggravated kidnapping, aggravated robbery, and aggravated assault, local news reported.
The incident was reported at 6:20 p.m. on Wednesday night, when a woman called the authorities after hearing several gunshots. The caller says she then looked outside her residence and saw a Hispanic male running down the street in his underwear while yelling, “They’re going to kill me.”
The victim alleges that he was abducted by three suspects at gunpoint and taken to a residence in Colony Ridge, where he was forced to strip down to his boxers before being beaten.
The Liberty County Sheriff’s Office’s narcotics division responded to the scene and detained a 16-year-old suspect in front of the residence that the victim alleged he was taken to. The officers then surrounded the residence and a special response team was deployed to search for two suspects that fled the residence.
The incident comes as Colony Ridge developer William “Trey” Harris attempts to make inroads with legislators by inviting them to go on a guided tour of the development, while recent articles downplay concerns of criminality and cartel activity in the area.
Concerns of crime and cartel activity have recently reached the forefront of the conversation surrounding Colony Ridge, with Liberty County Sheriff Bobby Rader warning that law enforcement is not adequately equipped to handle the swiftly growing development. He also confirmed that there is cartel activity in the area, including drug trafficking, sexual crimes, and violent crime.
Four Texas State Representatives recently signed a letter calling for a Department of Public Safety substation to be placed in the area, and even suggested that Liberty County be placed under conservatorship by the state of Texas. The call for action comes ahead of the upcoming special session, which will include potential legislation to address Colony Ridge.
Texas Rangers who completed a search warrant on the residence failed to obtain the two suspects, who are still believed to be on the run. Investigators reported finding spent shell casings and other evidence.
The 16-year-old suspect who was apprehended was taken to the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office Annex in Cleveland and was charged. Because he is a juvenile, his identity has not been disclosed.
“The juvenile victim was lucky to be able to escape from the three suspects,” Capt. David Meyers, a spokesperson for the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office, remarked, also saying he was “lucky that he did not get shot during the process.”
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