FortBendNow.com

Sugar Land Mayor James Thompson said he felt a tap on his shoulder as he was getting a coat hanger out of his back seat, and turned to find himself staring down the barrel of a gun less than a foot from his face.

The suspect is described as black man, 6 feet tall with a thin build.

“I was scared to death,” said Thompson. “I still am.”

The armed robbery occurred last night, Nov. 17, in Thompson’s driveway as he returned home unusually early from a Sugar Land City Council meeting. Thompson says the man demanded money.

“I asked him to please calm down,” said Thompson, who said he pulled out his money clip, dropping his credit cards on the ground. The suspect insisted Thompson had additional money, said Thompson, who gave him a small change box from the back of the car.

“He told me he was going to shoot me if I kept turning around and looking at him,” said Thompson.

The suspect then told Thompson to crawl under his own car, at which point Thompson said he felt like he might escape the situation without being shot. The suspect ran away, and Thompson crawled out from under his car, went inside and called police. Police arrived in less than two minutes.

Houston Police Department allowed Sugar Land police to use their crime dog, which followed the suspect’s scent to the entrance of Thompson’s subdivision, where it is assumed the suspect got into a car.

Sugar Land Police Chief Doug Brinkley said Thompson did “exactly what he was supposed to do” by remaining “calm and collected.”

The suspect matches the description of a sketch released from an armed driveway robbery that occurred in Meadow Lakes Nov. 11, and Thompson confirmed that the sketch was similar to the suspect that robbed him.

The suspect is described as black man, 6 feet tall with a thin build. He wore a black T-shirt, black shorts and a black cap during the Meadow Lakes robbery, and a dark shirt, possibly sweatpants and tennis shoes during last night’s robbery.

“I want to tell citizens, this can happen to anyone,” said Thompson. “You have to be aware. One of the…objectives of the City of Sugar Land is the safest city in America. I will tell you we are going to enforce that. We are going to take any measure we can to catch this young man. We will prosecute to the hilt if we can because we aren’t going to have this in Sugar Land and our citizens have got to feel safe in our communities.”

Brinkley said it is unlikely the suspect knew he was robbing the mayor, and it was most likely a crime of opportunity. He said patrols will be increased in Thompson’s neighborhood, just as they are any time an armed robbery is reported.

Brinkley also said the department will have increased visibility and “as many uniformed officers out there as possible” due to the upcoming holiday season, which often brings an increase in crime.

“We don’t want this to happen to any of our citizens,” said Brinkley. “It (Sugar Land) will continue to be one of the safest cities in the country.”

Thompson said he does not carry a weapon, but is comfortable with guns and owns firearms. He said he is not sure of this incident will encourage him to begin carrying one.

“I was concerned about my family, initially my safety,” said Thompson, whose wife was inside the house when the robbery occurred. “Now I’m really mad. I’m mad it happened to me, and mad it happened in Sugar Land.”

Fort Bend County Crime Stoppers is offering a $5,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest and conviction in the case. Anyone with information should call the Sugar Land Police Department at 281-275-2540 or Crime Stoppers at 281-342-TIPS (8477).