Alton, Texas

From Harlingen’s Team4News.com of November 14, 2005

Residents Frightened by Morning Shootout

Hidalgo County sheriff investigators have been out here all morning in the area of 6 Mile Line and Stewart Road, near Alton where there was an attempted home invasion and shooting.

Sheriff Lupe Trevino says the suspects drove up to a house driving a black GMC Denali and tried to storm into home.

But Trevino says the homeowner surprised them with a gun, shots were exchanged and the suspect's SUV was hit.

"Well it sounded like a lot. First I heard like a 12 gauge shot gun real loud. Zas, zas, zas, zas. And then I heard an automatic weapon. And then I went inside to call the police and I could still hear the gunshots," said a neighbor who didn't want to give his name.

It's unclear if anyone was inside that SUV when it was hit by the gunfire.

The suspects are still on the loose.

The sheriff believes the homeowner knew the suspects. We're told they left him a note claiming "you have to pay for what you stole".

UPDATE: The November 15, 2005 McAllen, Texas Monitor reports that this appears to be a bad case of mistaken identity:

But sheriff’s deputies aren’t convinced anyone at the ranch or inside the Denali knew one another.

Preliminary investigations showed insufficient evidence to prove the ranch home was a stash house or place where drugs were sold, the sheriff said.

"Usually there is a relationship between the occupant and the invaders, but there are times, the wrong place is identified and there are innocent victims," Treviño said. "This time, we believe there was a mistake."

Last week in Abram, a group of four or five men stormed into a neighborhood residence armed with long-barrel guns looking for money and drugs. Using two-way radios, someone outside the home told the men they were in the wrong house, Treviño said.

"This we suspect is again, mistaken identity."