Austin Police Arrest Three Teenagers After 12 Shootings Over 24 Hours

Three teenagers ages 15, 16 and 17 were arrested Sunday after a series of 12 shootings that spanned nearly 24 hours in Austin, Texas, and injured four people. Police described the attacks as appearing random and said the suspects stole four cars during the spree.

The 17-year-old suspect, Cristian Mondragon-Fajardo, faces multiple counts including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, theft of a firearm, and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. A retired Austin police officer and president of the Austin Police Retired Officers' Association said the department had been restricted from using license plate reader technology that previously helped track vehicles.

He stated that the system had been removed after a one-year trial period following opposition from city council members and local activists concerned about data sharing with federal immigration authorities.

The retired officer said license plate readers in the neighboring city of Manor helped authorities there locate the suspects. He added that the technology might have allowed officers to stop the suspects before additional shootings occurred, including one involving a person walking a dog.

Austin officials have passed the Transparent and Responsible Use of Surveillance Technology Act, which sets rules for the use of license plate readers while banning facial recognition technology. The measure requires city council approval before new surveillance tools are deployed and mandates disclosure of how data will be stored.

A city council member said protecting residents is the top priority and that license plate readers would have helped track the suspects. The member stated that any future system must prevent and solve crimes while protecting privacy, and expressed openness to discussing such tools under those conditions.