Two men were shot in Lewisville over the Labor Day Weekend, and officials said they utilized Flock cameras to catch the man responsible.
Lewisville PD responded to a shooting around 6:49 p.m. Sunday outside Taco Hut along State Highway 121 Business.
Police released an update Monday, announcing a suspect, Leonel Consuelos Rocha Jr., had been arrested in the case.
When officers arrived, they found two adults who had been shot.
According to investigators, the men were shot following an altercation that escalated until Rocha allegedly displayed a handgun and started shooting.
He allegedly pointed the gun at a third victim, but never pulled the trigger.
The victims took refuge in a nearby business, but the suspect fled the scene and allegedly ditched the handgun used.
Lewisville PD utilized Flock cameras to identify the suspect’s vehicle, and eventually confirmed with video evidence, investigative resources and witness interviews that Rocha was the suspected shooter.
Officials said Rocha later turned himself into Lewisville PD and was taken into custody without incident.
Rocha was booked into the Lewisville City Jail and is charged with three counts of Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon and one count of Tampering with Evidence.
The investigation is still ongoing and Lewisville PD is asking anyone with information to contact the department at 972-219-3640 or Crime Stoppers at 972-219-8477 or online.
Lewisville PD is one of many departments across Denton County that have used Flock’s automatic license plate reader technology to help track down suspect vehicles and solve crimes.
The arrest of Rocha can be an example of how the technology can be utilized by police to solve a crime, but many have concerns about the safety of the cameras and worry they might invade the privacy of citizens.
Recent reports indicate some officers with police departments have misused the technology by searching for plates without reason or any connection to criminal investigations.
According to Flock, the company rolled out new procedures in an attempt to mitigate misuse. The company reduced its data retention from 30 days to seven days, and implemented an automatic audit system that alerts the department when a suspicious search has been done so department administration can look into it.
