Man tells cops he tracked down teens he accused of stealing his car, shot them both amid confrontation — then police arrest and charge him

Houston police said they arrested a 22-year-old man who indicated he tracked down a pair of teens he accused of stealing his car and then shot them both amid a confrontation.

What are the details?

Addrian Nicolas Garcia told investigators two males stole his vehicle from his residence, and he shot them both amid a confrontation around 5:50 p.m. Tuesday after he tracked them down in the area of the 8200 block of Gulck Lane, Major Assaults & Family Violence Division Detective Q. Nguyen said.

Officers responded to the scene and found two juveniles had been struck by gunfire, police said.

The juveniles, both 15 years old, were taken to area hospitals in critical but stable condition, police said, adding that they are expected to survive.

Garcia remained at the scene, police said.

Following further investigation and consultation with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, Garcia was charged with two counts of aggravated assault-serious bodily injury in the 248th State District Court, police said.

Charges haven't been filed against the teenagers, KTRK-TV reported, adding that police haven't clarified whether they are suspects for auto theft.

How are folks reacting?

Yahoo News on Wednesday evening published KRIV-TV's story about the shooting, and a whopping 3,300-plus comments have been posted below the Yahoo News piece as of Thursday afternoon.

Quite a few commenters weren't happy about the arrest and charges. Here's a sampling:

• "So this would be like punishing the victims for retaliation because we cannot count on our law enforcement to do their job, we cannot count on our legal system to punish criminals but instead punish victims, we cannot count on our insurance to replace the vehicle, and we cannot count on others to feel the pain they do not have to deal with in being a victim of crime," one commenter wrote. "So we take matters into our hands and go after criminals, which is what they are no matter what their age is; they made a conscience decision to harm or take from others; this is not what normal people do. So we are left with no way out and might as well let criminals kill us because they will be hailed as heroes in their dirty little neighborhoods and will be protected by the elite of society. God bless what was the USA."
• "In my view, the only mistake the owner made was not finishing the job," another commenter declared. "I don't even care if they were armed or not. They tried to take his car, so I'm fine with him taking them out. And so are most other people. It's the only way to stop this behavior since a night in jail is obviously not much of a deterrent."
• "The reason crime is increasing drastically is because there is little consequence," another commenter stated. "It should be expected when one commits a crime, such as stealing a vehicle, that there is risk and consequence and that getting shot is included as a consequence. It's clear that this 'soft on crime' approach by the current administration isn't working, of course."
• "This country and its authorities regarding crime and criminals is completely upside down," another commenter observed. "People have a right to defend themselves and their property. Expect much more citizen vigilantism, as the incompetence, impotence, and coddling of criminals by the existing laws and authorities continues."

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