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4 arrested for robbing ATM & high-speed chase
Four people in Giddings have been arrested after being accused of stealing tens of thousands of dollars from an ATM. The group led multiple agencies on a car chase that crossed into another county.
GIDDINGS, Texas - Four people in Giddings have been arrested after being accused of stealing tens of thousands of dollars from an ATM and leading multiple agencies on a car chase that crossed into another county.
The suspects are John Cook, 24; Zachary Walker, 25; Treshun Green, 20; and Jaemeel Davis, 29.
This started at the Classic Bank in Giddings on Tuesday, Nov. 12, around 11:21 a.m.
Lee County Sheriff Garrett Durrenberger says the suspects, one of them masked, approached an ATM technician, pushed him down, and started taking money before driving off with roughly $30,000.
Durrenberger saw them while the dispatcher was relaying information. He tried to pull them over, but they kept driving.
"It was like the ‘Dukes of Hazzard’. I was calling the elementary school to tell them to lock down while I was chasing these guys, because I thought they were going to bail out in the super residential neighborhood. I was just thinking, kids at recess, armed suspects. Thank God it worked out the way it did," he said.
He says evidence was coming out of the car.
"A bank drawer, they would go into an ATM. These things are flying out. There's money flying out in these neighborhoods and on the highway. Those things have since been recovered," Durrenberger said.
Giddings police tried to block the car, but they drove around and kept going eastbound on Hwy 290, going up to 120 mph.
Other agencies joined, and the suspects went into Fayette County, then back into Giddings. Eventually, Giddings police threw down spike strips, and the car crashed at East Austin Street and James Turman Road.
One of the suspects ran into a field but was caught. All four were arrested, facing charges of organized criminal activity.
Records show Cook and Walker are also facing charges of evading arrest, and Davis has a fugitive warrant. Walker and Davis are from Beaumont, and Green is from Humble.
Durrenberger says if you rob someone, Lee County law enforcement will come for you. He reflected on the chase.
"At the time the call comes out, you're face-to-face with the sheriff. It was like a Western scene. It was beautiful. Then they ran and were very, very thankful no one was hurt," he said.
Giddings police say the suspects were involved in a vehicle burglary in Austin that same morning.
Austin police say around 9:49 a.m., officers responded to the 7300 block of Menchaca Road. The victim had belongings taken from his car, which was damaged.
Officers are continuing to work on the investigation.