SUGAR LAND, Texas – Sugar Land Police don’t think a gunman realized who he was holding up last night when he pointed a gun at a man and demanded money.
It was James Thompson, the Mayor of Sugar Land.
Thompson said he had just finished up a city council meeting, had some dinner and had pulled into his driveway.
"I got out of my car and I opened the back door to get a coat hanger and I felt a tap on my back shoulder,” said Thompson. “I turned around and I had a gentleman standing there with a pistol in my face."
Thompson said he thought about defending himself but instead he chose to stay calm and comply with the robber’s wishes.
“He told me he was going to shoot me if I kept turning around looking at him,” said Thompson. “So he ordered me to get under the car. I went around to the back of the car and I slid underneath the car and I heard him running away.”
The man took off with money and Thompson’s cell phone.
“We do not know if this is the same person, but it’s very similar in nature how this crime was committed,” said Sugar Land Police Chief Douglas Brinkley.
Brinkley was referring to a similar robbery that happened last week in the Meadow Lakes subdivision. He says a gunman approached another Sugar Land man after work, as he got out of his car. The robber demanded money and took off. That man was able to provide police with enough information to produce a sketch.
The mayor was able to get a good look at that sketch today and said he saw a lot of similarities but he couldn’t be 100 percent sure that it was the same man. Thompson believes the incident happened in a matter of seconds.
He wanted to get the word out to citizens to be aware of their surroundings this holiday season. Over the past few years, Sugar Land has been mentioned in different reports as one of the safest cities in America.
“This will continue to be one of the safest cities in this country,” said Chief Brinkley. “I want to do everything I can to protect every citizen, including our mayor. This type of activity will not be tolerated. I will put every resource I have behind this initiative.”
One of those resources is Crime Stoppers. The organization is offering a reward to anyone who produces information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the robber involved in this crime. The number is 713-222-TIPS.
Sugar Land Police is also offering tips on staying safe this holiday season.
