Texas Man Goes On A Christmas Day Rampage

A man has been arrested after going on a Christmas crime spree in south Texas. Ingleside police answered a 911 call just before 10 p.m. Saturday from a man screaming that he was going to kill someone. When officers responded to the location, they heard a man yelling just before they were ambushed with gunfire.

As officers shielded themselves from the gunfire, the suspect exited the residence, struck a neighbor in the head with a weapon while threatening to shoot him, and then stole a vehicle.

Surrounding agencies were notified, and a short time later, the stolen vehicle was located at a nearby restaurant in Portland. The suspect had stolen another vehicle at gunpoint and that vehicle was found abandoned in the parking lot of a nearby retail store.

Portland police contacted Ingleside officers and alerted them that the suspect had gone to a 24-hour emergency room, where he had barricaded himself inside with staff members.

Officers from the Portland Police Department took the suspect into custody and recovered a weapon. The suspect was identified as 29-year-old Jorge Puente.

The incident is still under active investigation. Authorities had initially obtained a warrant for aggravated assault on a public servant and aggravated robbery. Those two charges have been added to the list of other charges which includes four counts of aggravated robbery, seven counts of unlawful restraint exposed to serious bodily injury, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, evading arrest-vehicle, unlawful carrying a weapon, possession of marijuana, and possession of a controlled substance.

“There will likely be more charges added for Mr. Puente, and we will be working closely with the district attorney to upgrade to attempted capital murder,” Ingleside PD’s statement reads.

Puente is currently in custody at the San Patricio County Jail.