On today’s date (02-07-19) at approximately 6:00pm, officers with the New Braunfels Police Department were called to the Chase Bank location in the 600 block of North Walnut Ave. for a report of a Robbery in progress. Officers arrived to find that no one at the bank had been harmed during the robbery, but the suspect had already fled the scene after taking an undisclosed amount of cash. A nearby citizen flagged down an officer and was able to give a detailed description of the suspect vehicle, a white Honda Ridgeline pickup truck.
Just minutes later, at approximately 6:11pm, officers spotted the suspect vehicle near the intersection of N. Live Oak and Katy St. As officers attempted a traffic stop, the truck abruptly turned off the road and began traveling down the rocky embankment portion of the railroad tracks in that area. Pursuing officers followed the suspect down the tracks until the truck came to a stop near the intersection of N. Grape Ave. and Michigan St. A felony traffic stop was conducted and the driver of the truck was taken into custody without further incident.
The suspect, identified as 33-year old Clayton Lee Johnson of New Braunfels, was arrested and taken to the Comal County Jail where he faces a 2nd degree felony charge of Robbery and a State Jail felony charge of Evading Arrest or Detention in a Vehicle. Additional charges may be pending. Once officers searched the suspect’s vehicle, they were also able to recover the entirety of the cash stolen from the bank.
The New Braunfels Police Department would like to praise the quick thinking of the citizen who was able to give officers a detailed description of the suspect’s vehicle. NBPD would also like to thank the Comal County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance in this incident.