Four men arrested in string of smash-and-grab robberies

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Alleged smash-and-grab robbers are behind bars today after a path of destruction was left at stores on the north side. It happened along the North Freeway.

It's not often police get an arrest in these types of break-ins, but that is exactly what happened today.

A Brewingz and a City Gear are the latest businesses hit by smash-and-grab robbers. This time, the suspect used Melvin Sonnier's truck to break through windows and doors.

Sonnier said, "They either rammed the vehicle into something or door or window to get into the building, they backed into it with the truck from the way it looks."

Houston police say four suspects stole Sonnier's truck then went on a smash-and-grab rampage. But this time, the men were caught by HPD.

HPD's Lt. Larry Crowson said, "When officers arrived, they set up perimeter, and as they were doing so, four suspects ran out the back of the restaurant."

The damage to stores along the North Freeway near Tidwell is just the latest from series of smash-and-grab robberies.

This week, surveillance video caught four men ramming a Chevrolet truck through a Kingwood convenience store, and later the same evening, a red Ford was driven into another store just four miles away.

Now police are trying to figure out if the suspects caught on camera are same ones in custody for the latest break-ins.

Crowson said, "Officers also found a power saw, where the suspects tried to grind their way into the safe."

HPD is now checking the surveillance video from the stores targeted overnight to see if the suspects are the same ones from earlier this week.