Arrests made in armed parking lot robberies

FRIENDSWOOD — Three men were arrested in Houston in connection to a series of armed robberies in shopping center parking lots in Harris and Galveston counties, including one in which a woman had her purse stolen in Friendswood.

The three men also are suspected in another armed robbery where the victim opened fire on her assailants after they stole her hand bag at a shopping center in La Marque.

A vehicle seized during one of the arrests had “several” bullet holes in its tailgate, police said.

The three men are facing charges related to two parking lot armed robberies in Houston, police said. All four robberies happened within a three-hour period Wednesday, police said.
One of the suspects was arrested the day of the robberies, Friendswood police said.

Jorge Alfonso Martinez, 25; Rodolfo Martinez Maldonado, 21, and Mario Martinez Maldonado, 19, each face at least two counts of aggravated robbery.

Houston police arrested Jorge Alfonso Martinez after a traffic stop when officers found the bullet holes in the back of the Nissan Pathfinder he was driving, police said. The other two men also were arrested during the holiday weekend in Houston, Friendswood Police Chief Robert Wieners said.

Police suspect the crime spree started at about 11 a.m. in a parking lot off Edgebrook in southwest Houston. About 20 minutes later, a woman was robbed at gunpoint in the Walmart parking lot on El Dorado in the Clear Lake area.

The next robbery took place about 1:30 p.m. in the H-E-B parking lot, 701 Parkwood in Friendswood. While stowing groceries in her truck, a woman, 41, was approached by a man armed with a handgun. He demanded her purse, and she quickly gave it to a second suspect, Friends-wood police said.

The first suspect ordered the woman to throw her keys, which she did. He then ordered her into her truck, and she complied, police said.

Then about 2:45 p.m., a Santa Fe woman returning to her car after shopping at the La Marque Walmart was robbed, but she fought back.

As she was getting into her car, the gunman stuck a gun into her stomach and grabbed her purse. That’s when the 56-year-old pulled a revolver from her center console and opened fire as the robber and accomplices sped away.

Police had said she hot the SUV at least once as she fired five rounds. On Tuesday, police did not say how many bullet holes were found in the back of the suspects’ SUV, but confirmed it was “several,” Wieners said.

Martinez was charged with two counts of aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon in connection to the Houston robberies and one count of aggravated robbery in Galveston County. He was in the Harris County Jail on bonds totaling $260,000.

Rodolfo and Mario Maldonado each were charged with aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon and aggravated robbery of a person over 65 years old in Harris County, as well as one count of aggravated robbery related to the Friendswood holdup. Each man was in the Harris County Jail on bonds totaling $170,000.

Charges in connection to the La Marque robbery were pending, police said.

Reporter Hayley Kappes contributed to this report.