A group of suspected thieves allegedly responsible for stealing over $2.5 million worth of trucks and SUVs across North Texas has been apprehended in Plano.
The details of the alleged crimes were revealed in an arrest probable cause affidavit, leading to the indictment of several suspects last week.
The alleged thieves specifically targeted GM model trucks and SUVs along the Dallas Tollway in Plano, according to Plano Police Department spokeswoman Jennifer Chapman, per NBC 5 DFW.
One incident described in the court documents involved a woman who reported her 2022 GMC Sierra stolen from Texas Health Plano Hospital. Surveillance footage captured the suspects driving a black 2015 GMC Sierra, swiftly stealing the vehicle within three minutes on January 23, 2023, around 12:20 p.m.
Later that same evening, another vehicle, a gray 2021 Chevrolet Silverado, was stolen from a location on Dallas Parkway while the owner was at work.
The stolen gray truck was equipped with a GPS tracking device, enabling the police to locate it and apprehend the suspects. The investigation allegedly revealed that the thieves were involved in organized criminal activity.
Plano police collaborated with the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Aircraft Operations Division to track the stolen truck using the GPS device. The helicopter followed the vehicle until it reached an apartment complex on Rothington Road in Southeast Dallas, near Interstate 30 and Jim Miller Road.
Once the license plate and VINs were confirmed, detectives established electronic surveillance on the truck. The suspects, who did not reside in the apartment complex, were observed “cooling off” the stolen vehicle to check for any tracking devices. If the car remained in the same spot for an extended period, it indicated the absence of a tracking device.
Approximately an hour later, the stolen vehicle resumed its movement. Police tracked its route and noticed a silver Tahoe following it at high speeds.
The pursuit led police to a fenced-in lot at 1150 Mosier Valley Rd. in Fort Worth. Detectives witnessed one suspect, Jacob Ruiz, exiting the passenger side of the Tahoe and unlocking the yard gate. Jesus Daniel Perez Rodriguez, the driver of the Tahoe, allegedly removed the license plate from the stolen Chevy from Plano.
David Villegas, the suspect accused of driving the stolen truck, parked it alongside six other GMC Sierras and Chevrolet Silverado trucks inside the lot. Detectives suspected that all the vehicles in the lot were stolen.
Once the gate was locked, the suspects returned to the Tahoe. Plano police contacted Arlington police, who conducted a traffic stop near I-30 and Ballpark Way.
During the stop, Perez Rodriguez and Ruiz were arrested for not wearing seat belts, while Torres Villegas was arrested for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. Detectives at the scene reportedly recognized Perez Rodriguez and Ruiz as repeat offenders arrested multiple times for stealing cars in the metroplex over the past year.
A search of the Tahoe allegedly uncovered screwdrivers, which can be used for bypassing car locks, and a device for reprogramming vehicle keys.
Further investigation by the Plano PD Vehicle Crimes Unit revealed that the tablet found in possession of the suspects contained VINs associated with 50 different GMC Sierras or Chevrolet Silverado trucks dating back to December.
The estimated total value of the 50 vehicles, including the eight recovered from the Fort Worth lot, amounted to approximately $2,565,657.
The major bust in nearby Plano follows successive years of dramatic increases in auto thefts in Dallas, with 11.2% and 12.35% spikes from 2020 to 2021 and 2021 to 2022, respectively, according to figures from the City of Dallas open data crime analytics dashboard.
Reliable data for 2023 remain unavailable due to the City’s failure to resolve complications from an alleged ransomware attack in early May, as previously covered by The Dallas Express.
Police Chief Eddie Garcia has noted the Dallas Police Department is experiencing a severe staffing shortage, in need of hundreds of police officers.
Other municipalities like Fort Worth have addressed recurring offenses by devoting patrols to downtown crime hotspots. DPD has managed to implement a specialized unit dedicated to Deep Ellum in an attempt to manage crime in the neighborhood; however, it does not have comparable units stationed in other similarly crime-ridden parts of the city.