Austin police arrest suspect in recent armed robbery spree

The Austin Police Department announced the arrest of David Olmos, 34, who confessed to a series of 10 armed robberies around Austin, on Friday.

Olmos robbed a series of convenience stores, a Cricket Wireless store and two individuals between May 15 and Tuesday, threatening his victims with a silver handgun and fleeing the scenes in a silver Chevrolet Silverado.

During the eighth robbery, which took place on North Lamar Boulevard last weekend, Olmos shot at the victim, who started chasing him after being robbed.

The final robbery occurred earlier this week, when Olmos carried out a carjacking at 4918 Burleson Road in Southeast Austin. The stolen vehicle was equipped with a GPS tracker, which allowed APD to track down Olmos, who was arrested on the scene and found in possession of the stolen vehicle keys, cocaine, methamphetamine and a silver handgun.

APD recently arrested Juan Sebastian Salto-Garcia, 18, in relation to two armed carjackings in the Westlake area. The department did not immediately respond to questions about whether Olmos may be connected to those events.

Olmos' arrest arrives amid various efforts to address gun crime in Austin.

Save Austin Now, the nonprofit that successfully campaigned to reinstate a ban on public camping, launched a new petition effort on Wednesday to address concerns about public safety, including rising violent crime rates, police staffing levels and diversity within the force.

APD launched a gun crime prevention program in partnership with the Travis County District Attorney's Office last month in light of rising violent crime rates, and U.S. Attorney Gregg Sofer announced Operation Undaunted, a new federal program designed to address violent crime in Austin, in December.

There were 72 robberies in Austin last month, down 18% from April 2020. Although some violent crimes, including murder, have seen significant year-over-year increases, crime is actually down slightly year-over-year, according to the chief's latest monthly report.