A man who attempted to stop an armed robbery at a game room in Fort Worth Wednesday night was shot in the chest.
Fort Worth police are still searching for two armed suspects who allegedly began robbing a game room located at 6938 South Freeway shortly after 10 p.m. on October 4.
Game rooms in Fort Worth are defined as for-profit entities that contain six or more “Amusement Redemption Machines” or “electronic, electromechanical, or mechanical contrivances that … afford a player the opportunity to obtain a prize or thing of value.”
While the theft was in progress, a man confronted the robbers with his own firearm. According to police reports, an exchange of gunfire ensued, during which the man was shot a single time in the chest by the suspects, who ended up fleeing the scene.
The man was taken to a hospital by another person at the scene and is reportedly in stable condition.
Aggravated robberies — defined in the Texas penal code as thefts committed with weapons or threats of violence — have seen an uptick amid a growing trend of “juggings” across the metroplex. Juggings occur when criminals position themselves outside a bank or ATM and follow people who have withdrawn money to intercept them in the parking lot or elsewhere.
As recently reported by The Dallas Express, one Dallas man was allegedly followed home from the bank by three armed men. They then ambushed him in his driveway, trying to force their way into his vehicle. Mark Gardner was able to drive away with his stepson unscathed.
Citywide, there have been 1,814 robbery offenses committed in Dallas this year as of October 5, according to the City’s crime analytics dashboard.
Additionally, the number of auto thefts seen this year has jumped over 39% — 14,211 in 2023 compared to 10,175 logged this time last year.
Downtown Dallas sees many of the city’s auto thefts, logging significantly higher rates than Fort Worth’s downtown area. While both cities’ police departments have been struggling with officer shortages lately, Fort Worth has a specialized police unit monitoring its city center alongside private security guards.