Multiple people are in custody after a robbery at a mall in Sugar Land and a brief police chase.
The incident was first reported by witnesses at the scene just after 1:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon. Sugar Land officials say two men and one woman orchestrated a smash-and-grab heist at the Daniel’s Jewelers store at First Colony Mall.
A source from Sugar Land Police Department said the three burglars used a hammer to shatter two glass display cases at the store and steal jewelry.
SLPD later confirmed that the suspects stole 27 pieces of jewelry, which had a combined value of $164,898.70.
The two male suspects have been identified as Austin Greer, 34 and Terzandro James-Baines, 34. The female suspect was identified as Jada Stewart, 31.
After securing the stolen goods, they ran from the store and hopped in a red Ford sedan that didn’t have license plates. Police had a detailed description of the vehicle, so they were able to quickly catch up to the car on the US-59 feeder road in front of the Houston Methodist hospital in Sugar Land.
One of the suspects was apprehended right away, and the other two sprinted away on foot. After a brief foot chase, the other two robbers were also detained, and all of the stolen jewelry was recovered.
According to the SLPD source, a woman who witnessed the heist injured her leg while running from the active scene, meaning that the burglary charges the suspects are facing will be upgraded to robbery charges, which carry higher penalties.
The two suspects who ran from the vehicle have also been charged with evading arrest, but the one who surrendered will not face this charge.