Kyle Police, Buda Police, and Hays County Sheriff’s Office Make Four Arrests Connected to Armed Robberies, Additional Charges Added to a Fifth

KYLE, TEXAS –– Between Tuesday, Dec. 26 and Wednesday, Feb. 14 the Kyle Police Department, Buda Police Department, and the Hays County Sheriff’s Office have arrested and charged five individuals in connection to robberies at various convenience stores in the area.  

The first incident occurred on Tuesday, Dec. 26 at the 7-11 on the I-35 Northbound Frontage Road near FM 150 at 11:38 p.m. when the subject entered the store, pulled what appeared to be a handgun, and demanded money from the register. Following an investigation, authorities issued a warrant and arrested 17-year-old John Paul Martinez. The firearm in this case was later recovered in a stolen vehicle by the San Marcos Police Department and was determined to be an airsoft gun.   

Martinez is being held in the Hays County Jail. He faces Aggravated Robbery, Unauthorized Use of a Vehicle, and four theft of property charges.  

Additional charges have been levied against 18-year-old Rudy Romero. Romero is connected to three robberies in Kyle, TX made between Jan. 25 and Feb. 3 and an additional incident in Buda, TX on Monday, Feb. 5 at the Poco Loco on Windy Hill Road.  

The Buda Police Department identified two other suspects in the incident, 22-year-old Brandon Anthony Vasquez and 23-year-old Martin Garcia Jr. They face Robbery and Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity charges.  

The most recent robbery occurred on Wednesday, Feb. 14 at 1:26 p.m. when Kyle Police received a call about an armed robbery that had just occurred at the Minute Fuel on Amberwood North and the Northbound I-35 Frontage Road. Witnesses reported that a male subject came into the store, displayed a handgun, and demanded money from the business and the personal cell phones of the employees. After being provided with these items, the subject fled from the store on foot.  

Kyle Police Officers and Hays County Sheriff’s Deputies arrived and located the subject behind the nearby Home Depot at 1:51 p.m. After a brief altercation, 26-year-old Josh Julian Garza of Clovis, New Mexico was safely apprehended. The firearm used in the robbery was located in the subject’s possession. The money and cell phones were recovered and returned to the victims.  

Garza is charged with Aggravated Robbery, Unlawful Carrying of Weapon, and two counts of Interference with Emergency Request for Assistance and is being held at the Hays County Jail.  

Police are asking anyone that may have any additional information on these incidents to please contact the Kyle Police Department at 512-268-3232 or, submit a tip anonymously to the Hays County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-324-TIPS (8477), online at callcrimestoppers.com, or by using the P3 Tips app on your smartphone. 

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The City of Kyle is located in the heart of the I-35 Innovation Corridor, just 26 miles south of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport & 50 miles north of San Antonio International Airport. Kyle is the second largest city in Hays County and is poised to become the largest — with a population that grew from 5,000 citizens in 2000 to just over 50,000 in 2020. We are the designated Pie Capital of Texas and home of the annual Pie in the Sky Hot Air Balloon Festival. For more information, go to CityofKyle.com.