'They knew what they were doing': Bellaire jewelry store owner followed home and robbed

BELLAIRE, Texas (KTRK) -- Two men are under arrest after a Bellaire man was boxed into his driveway and robbed.

It happened around 5:15 p.m. on Wednesday in a neighborhood near the West Loop and Bissonnet Street.

The victim, who asked not to be identified, had just parked in his driveway after coming home from the jewelry store he owns.

That's when a silver pickup truck blocked him in, and Bellaire police said Timothy Singleton and Stafford Johnson had gotten out.

"I'm thinking, 'What in the world? Who in the world are these guys?'" the victim told Eyewitness News.

Without so much as a word, he said the two suspects opened his doors and began picking through his car.

"They knew what they were doing. They came right to my car. One came on the right side, one came on the left side, got what they did, ran back in the truck," he said. "Luckily, praise God, that they didn't pull guns out."

The men got away with one of the victim's phones, his key fob, and 22 rings.

"My adrenaline kicked in. As soon as they pulled out of my driveway, I immediately called 911, and I started chasing them," the victim said.

The accused thieves made it as far as Bellaire Boulevard, where they lost control of their car while trying to make a U-turn under the West Loop.

The victim said they bailed out and took off with the stolen items in hand.

Officers with the Bellaire Police Department's Special Response Team just happened to be nearby. They were returning from the shooting that killed a deputy and injured a K-9 when the call went out.

"There's always gonna be an element of luck, but when luck and preparation come together, then good things happen," Chief Onesimo Lopez said.

Within minutes, the victim said a tow truck driver was able to direct officers to a parking garage, where police say they found the suspects hiding on the second floor.

Both already had open warrants for other crimes.

In May, ABC13 reported on a Meyerland man who was robbed after being followed home from the bank.

In June, the same thing happened to a Meyerland woman.

Police say to be on the lookout for people who may be following you. If you think you're being followed, you can call law enforcement and go to the nearest police station.

"Take an indirect route home. Take a couple of rights, maybe a left, and make sure that you're not being followed," Lopez said.

Singleton and Johnson have been charged with theft.

For news updates, follow Luke Jones on Facebook, X and Instagram.