As RedState’s Ward Clark reported Sunday, gunmen engaged in a seemingly random shooting spree in Austin, Texas. There were at least 12 incidents across the city as the perps fired from stolen vehicles, hitting two fire stations, injuring four people, and triggering a shelter-in-place order in South Austin.
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Following Ward’s report, Austin Police Department Chief Lisa Davis announced that two juvenile suspects — a 15-year-old and a 17-year-old — had been taken into custody.
Then, on Sunday night, APD said they’d busted a third:
UPDATE: Third suspect has been taken into custody by Manor PD. https://t.co/eQA6vKu2lg
— Austin Police Department (@Austin_Police) May 18, 2026
Manor is a suburb of Austin, and its police department often works closely with APD.
During a Sunday afternoon press conference, authorities alleged that the 17-year-old already had a warrant connected to the theft of a firearm, and that the 15-year-old was suspected of stealing a gun from the same store.
What the heck was their motive? Authorities said they don’t know:
10 “random” shootings in Austin. Police still are not naming the 2 suspects. pic.twitter.com/MtkYp8JZB2
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) May 18, 2026
RELATED: Austin Shooting Spree: 4 Shot in 9 Random Attacks, Shelter-in-Place Alert Issued
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An anonymous, crime-focused Twitter account called @AustinJustice opined that the suspects could have been nailed much more quickly if APD had been able to use technology it had relied upon in the past: license plate readers.
License plate readers could’ve prevented at least some of the shootings today.
The city council effectively banned them last year and just passed an act that makes them virtually useless. https://t.co/j17iIvLTXO
— Austin Justice (@AustinJustice) May 18, 2026
In 2025, city leaders refused to continue a license plate reader program that had helped police effectively track down stolen cars and solve other crimes. Their reasoning, at least partially: the information could be used by ICE to locate illegal aliens.
The APD would like to have a word:
In a work session Tuesday [June 3, 2025], APD says the system has helped them find 176 stolen vehicles and catch numerous violent suspects. The data is kept for seven days, and any requests follow guidelines.
“We have robust safeguards in place to ensure the requests that are coming in are monitored and reviewed,” Assistant Chief Sheldon Askew said.
APD says not having the program will make it more difficult to solve crimes.
“We’re more successful when we have technologies such as ALPR [automated license plate reader] to do it,” Askew said.
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Presumably, we’ll find out more on Monday about what led at least three teens to go on a violent shooting spree that could have easily cost lives. Males in their late teens are notorious for having a wild streak, but this is way beyond the pale. They should pay a heavy price.
Unfortunately, Travis County District Attorney José Garza, who could potentially oversee the case, is a George Soros-backed Democrat, and you know what that means — he’s soft-on-crime and no friend of the police. We’ll see what happens.
Editor’s Note: The American people overwhelmingly support President Trump’s law and order agenda.
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