by ANDY SEVILLA
What seemed like a scene out of a Hollywood movie – a home burglary, several shots fired, a police chase and an air supported manhunt – rang true for a quiet neighborhood in western Buda late last week.
An ongoing investigation finds two southeast Austin men in jail – Gary Zuniga, 29 and Justin Anthony Hernandez, 24 – after leading police in a chase and a manhunt resulting from being caught in an alleged home burglary.
Hays County Sheriff Gary Cutler said his office was called out to an aggravated robbery at about 9 a.m. Jan. 31 in the Oak Forest Subdivision, where two suspects were allegedly burglarizing a home off Mourning Dove Lane.
Cutler said a resident of the home arrived and confronted the suspects, before Zuniga and Hernandez allegedly “fired several shots at him and left.”
The two men fled in a silver Dodge pickup truck, while the victim, whom neighbors have identified as Hays High School senior Daniel Valdez, followed behind keeping law enforcement abreast of the suspects’ location and direction of travel, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
The Sheriff’s Office would not release the name of the victim.
Noel Rodriguez, who lives two doors down from the burglarized residence, said he was home at the time of the alleged crime, but didn’t see the scene unfolding.
“It makes us all a little more scared when these things happen in your neighborhood,” Rodriguez said. “I’m trying not to overreact. I see this as a random incident.”
“(Valdez’s) car has been struck,” Cutler said in a press conference. “We did find out bullet holes were in his vehicle… You have to be careful trailing after a suspect that just fired at you at your house.”
Cutler said the suspects stopped off of FM 967 and the FM 1826 area and fired additional shots before heading toward Dripping Springs.
Officers caught up to the alleged culprits and a vehicle pursuit ensued resulting in the suspects abandoning their truck on FM 150 at Springwood Road in Dripping Springs, according to Cutler. Police “quickly” apprehended Zuniga, but a “manhunt” in a “heavily wooded area,” involving the Sheriff’s Office, San Marcos Police, county constables and the Texas Department of Public Safety, which brought on air support, took almost two hours to nab Hernandez.
“It took us about an hour-and-a-half to an hour-and-forty-five minutes, we finally apprehended the (Hernandez) close in a creek bed area, hiding under some brush in a creek bed area,” Cutler said.
“Our K-9 tracked (Hernandez) to the creek bed area, along with the SWAT team – they assisted … K-9 took us to him,” Cutler said. “Our Deputy Rocky, K-9, we give him credit for this, for helping us on this one.”
Early reports of area schools on lockdown turned out to be false.
“We are getting some calls from parents who said they ‘heard on the news’ that Hays CISD Schools are or were in lockdown. That is not the case,” said Hays CISD spokesperson Tim Savoy in a media notice. “No Hays CISD schools are or were placed in lockdown (Jan. 31).”
Cutler did say that his office requested a nearby private school be put on lockdown, though he said his office was not involved in requesting lockdowns for public schools.
Police recovered a stolen firearm allegedly used in the robbery that had been stolen during a previously reported home burglary in Hays County, Cutler said, meanwhile investigators still are searching for a second weapon.
Rodriguez, who also has a child at Hays High School, said he advised his son on what to do in a similar situation.
“I told him if he ever sees a strange vehicle in the driveway or people coming out of the house, just keep driving and call the police,” Rodriguez said.
After speaking with the burglarized homeowner, Rodriguez said several items were taken, including jewelry, laptop computers, an iPad, an air gun, a BB gun, a safe with a gun in it and an Xbox video game player.
Both suspects have a criminal background, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Zuniga’s criminal history includes, burglary, theft, fraud and drug charges, while Hernandez’s criminal past includes, assault, burglary, theft, fraud and drug charges.
Zuniga is being held on a $350,000 bond, according to jail records, and Hernandez, who had outstanding warrants in Travis County and Austin, is being held on a $448,000 bond.
Kim Hilsenbeck contributed to this report.
