Armed Robbery Has Katy Trail Visitors Concerned
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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Authorities in Dallas are still looking for suspects Monday after a popular jogging area was hit by robbers over the weekend. The crime took place late Saturday night, in the dark, and has frequent Katy Trail visitors feeling concerned about their safety.
Only a handful of people were out running and cycling along the Katy Trail before sunrise on Monday morning. This weekend incident has given them yet another reason to be aware of their surroundings.
Police have arrested 22-year-old Daray Robinson and 18-year-old Marshan Williams. Investigators said that the two suspects robbed another man at gunpoint at around 10:00 p.m. on Saturday night. But officials believe that another man and a woman were also involved in the hold up. Those individuals are still on the loose.
The victim ran into the Katy Trail Icehouse to report what had happened. He was not hurt.
Williams was already wanted for a separate case of theft and evading arrest.
The popular Katy Trail has seen a series of armed robberies over the last year -- including as many as five of them in one week last November. Police made arrests in those past cases. More police patrols and extra lighting were added to the trail, but this latest crime shows that people still need to be careful while out exercising.
Katy Trail visitor Diane Blandford said that she carries pepper spray while working out. "I was out here, and it was a cold day, and I was alone. There was no one else on the trail," Blandford recalled. "I saw a man pass me and I turned around and then he had started to follow me. So, I got my phone and called my husband and looked back, and he had disappeared."
With the sun setting earlier during this time of the year, and the temperatures now starting to get colder, there are less people on the trail. That makes the few people who are out walking or jogging in Dallas look like easier targets to criminals. "If there's going to be less people, it'll be easier to grab their stuff," stated frequent Katy Trail visitor Natalie Pilzer, "and wait for it to get quiet again and get the next person who's alone."
"It's more like it was organized or planned or whatever," added trail visitor Camellia Austin. "That is frightening."
