Sheriff: Six teens seen in viral police video broke into Ascarate Park toll booth
El Paso County Sheriff Richard Wiles tells ABC-7 investigators with his office were able to identify the six of the seven juveniles who allegedly broke into an Ascarate Park toll booth thanks to a Facebook video that went viral and made national headlines because it showed an El Paso Police officer pointing a gun at a group of juveniles.
Wiles said that at about 10:50 p.m. on July 2, 2018, someone broke into the toll both in the entrance to Ascarate Park where people pay for parking. That booth was burglarized by some individuals who broke a window using a rock. The individuals stole a set of keys, Wiles said.
On July 6, 2018, someone broke into the Ascarate Park pool’s business office. The perpetrators threw items into the pool and stole softball equipment from a nearby facility. That incident remains under investigation and the seven juveniles in custody have not yet been linked to the pool area vandalism and theft, Wiles said. However, Wiles added surveillance video did show three of the juveniles leaving Ascarate Park at 6 a.m. on July 7.
Wiles said investigators noticed some of the individuals seen in surveillance video breaking into the toll booth on July 2nd, are the same ones seen in the viral video posted on social media on July 7, 2018.
“We were able to solve the burglary on the 2nd because of the video posted that was posted by the juvenile on the 7th,” Wiles said, “If it had not been for that viral video posted by the individual, we would not have solved the case.”
The viral video posted on July 7th shows an El Paso Police officer struggling to contain a group of juveniles suspected of breaking into a vacant apartment unit at 6719 Sambrano. The officer pulled a gun on the belligerent juveniles after they refused to obey his orders and began walking near or around him. The officer, who has been placed on desk duty while the department investigates, immediately put his weapon away.
The six juvenile suspects taken into custody by the sheriff’s office in connection to the Ascarate Park toll booth burglary include:
Male, 12, who lives in the 6700 block of Male, 13, who lives in the 7900 block of Knights Male, 14, who lives in the 6700 block of Alameda Female, 16, who lives in the 100 block of New Orleans Male 12, who lives in the 7900 block of Gateway East Female, 12, who lives in the 7900 block of Gateway East A seventh juvenile linked to the burglary at Ascarate Park was already in custody on a Theft of a Vehicle charge, the sheriff said.
The juveniles were taken to the juvenile probation department. The sheriff said they had a hearing Tuesday and believes the juveniles are still in custody.
