FORT WORTH, Texas — Authorities are investigating a series of smash-and-grab robberies at El Rancho grocery stores across North Texas. The latest incident occurred in Fort Worth on Sunday, just before the Super Bowl, where four masked men entered the store on North Main Street, smashing glass cases and stealing thousands of dollars worth of jewelry.
Thanks to video footage from inside the store, police were able to make quick arrests. Within 24 hours, eight suspects were apprehended. Fort Worth Police Officer Tracy Carter praised the quick response, saying, “Great detective work, great intel work… we were able to arrest eight people from that occurrence.”
The arrested suspects are: 51-year-old Dexter Ray Mitchell, 23-year-old Vanessa Thompson, 33-year-old Dexter Mitchell, 25-year-old Christian Venson, 22-year-old Reginald Mitchell, 17-year-old Daniya Smith, 36-year-old Lester Emerson, and 36-year-old Shonton Howard. Mugshots of seven of the eight suspects have been released.
Smash-and-grab robberies at El Rancho jewelry counters have been a recurring issue. On January 24, another El Rancho on Coit Road in Dallas was targeted, and the same family that owns the jewelry counter in Fort Worth also runs the one hit in Dallas. The same family was affected again in December, when another El Rancho store on Gus Thomason and Ferguson Roads was robbed.
Angel Cuenca, whose family owns the jewelry counters, shared the emotional toll of these crimes, saying it was “unfortunate” that his parents’ business, which supported his education, had been repeatedly targeted.
While Fort Worth Police have not confirmed whether these incidents are connected, they are investigating all possibilities. “If there are other people out there doing this, hopefully, they will work with us, and we’ll bring them to justice,” said Officer Carter.
Smash-and-grab robberies at El Rancho stores have also been reported in the Houston area, though law enforcement has yet to officially connect the crimes.
