Border Patrol Agents Disrupt Alleged Burglary During Texas Coronavirus Shutdown

El Paso Sector Border Patrol disrupted an attempted burglary of a business during a period where El Paso County issued a stay-at-home order.

El Paso Station agents carrying out routine patrols in downtown El Paso observed a person they believed to be about to burglarize a business on April 1, according to sector officials.

The agents approached the suspected burglar and found tools and equipment on the ground that reportedly confirmed their suspicions. The agents detained the man and contacted the El Paso Police Department for assistance.

El Paso police officers arrived on the scene and took custody of the man. During a background and identification check, the suspect reportedly told the officers he has an active burglary warrant in Arizona.

The officers placed the man under arrest and transported him to the jail for processing.

“During the current COVID-19 pandemic, businesses are being economically affected thus making it easy for criminals to take advantage of the situation. The essential posture of our Agents continuing with routine patrols represents our commitment to keeping our communities safe,” Chief Patrol Agent Gloria I. Chavez said in a written statement.

Several cities have witnessed an increase in burglaries in the wake of “stay-home” orders. The orders often have the unintended consequence of leaving thousands of properties susceptible to intrusion.

Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo told Breitbart Texas, “some people are seeing the shutdown of businesses as a target-rich opportunity.”
The police chief of Texas’ largest city said they witnessed a spike of about 20 percent — particularly in burglaries of businesses.

Statistics reported by the New York City Police Department’s CompStat website show a 21.8 percent increase in burglaries in the last 28 days. The site also reports auto thefts are up by 64.2 percent during the same period. Murders, robbery, and shooting incidents also showed increases.

Minneapolis police and business owners also expressed concerns over burglaries as more stores are closed due to stay-at-home orders, the StarTribune reported. Since February 5, the number of burglaries nearly doubled.

Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior news contributor for the Breitbart Texas-Border team. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s What’s Your Point? Sunday-morning talk show. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX and Facebook.