Katy Trail Robbery Suspect Arrested In Grand Prairie
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – One of the two men suspected in a string of robberies along the Katy Trail was arrested Saturday after he was caught speeding in Grand Prairie, police say.
Dominique Trevun Thornton, 22, is jailed at the Lew Sterrett Justice Center and has been charged with three counts of aggravated robbery, jail records show. No bond amounts have been posted.
Last week, police said two men were likely responsible for 14 robberies in May –– seven of which occurred on or near the Katy Trail. Thornton was identified as a suspect Saturday and arrested in Grand Prairie that evening.
The second suspect has not been named or identified, although police say he is between 20 to 30 years old, stands between 5'8 and 6'2 tall and weighs between 150 and 160 pounds. He's used a blue steel semi-automatic handgun in the robberies.
In response to the rash of robberies, police bolstered patrols along the trail. Employees at nearby businesses say a police officer has been posted at each location –– the two men robbed one woman last week as she left a popular bar abutting the Katy Trail.
The Dallas Police Department, though, has garnered criticism for the way it alerted the public. After news outlets reported the robberies last weekend, police addressed the crimes for the first time on Monday.
On May 12 at 11:25 p.m., a man walking in the 3700 block of Travis was attacked and robbed. Two hours later the suspects robbed a woman walking in the 3100 block of Routh St. Then, at 6:45 a.m. on Sunday, the suspects approached a man jogging on the trail and robbed him at gunpoint.
Police said they were aware that the same two suspects had committed 11 robberies the Friday before those final three incidents. Addressing the delay in releasing information about the crimes, the Dallas Police Department issued a statement saying it "must continually balance the need to inform the public against releasing information that could jeopardize the investigation and potential suspect identification."
In an email, Dallas Police spokesman Lt. Scott Walton confirmed Thornton's arrest but gave no further information.
