SAN ANTONIO — A man linked to a series of violent crimes, including a severe assault and an armed robbery, has been arrested following weeks of evasion. Wayne Mercado III, 25, faces several felony charges in connection with these incidents that terrified the community.
The first assault occurred on September 23 near the PikNik convenience store, when Mercado allegedly confronted a 25-year-old man who had just entered the store with two small children. Surveillance footage captured the escalating argument that quickly spilled into the parking lot.
According to authorities, Mercado and an unidentified accomplice attacked the victim, using a large piece of wood to strike him multiple times on the head. After sustaining injuries, the victim sought refuge in a nearby friend’s apartment. However, Mercado returned a short time later, this time armed with a shotgun, and fired a round at the victim, missing him and fled before police arrived.
Officers subsequently responded to the crime scene and found a shotgun inside an apartment complex nearby, but Mercado had already escaped. Five days later, he allegedly struck again in a violent robbery.
As detailed in a warrant for his arrest, Mercado, accompanied by two women, lured another victim to an apartment, where they brutally assaulted her with a metal rod, a cooking pan, and a handgun. The suspects escaped with the victim’s purse and cellphone when a bystander attempted to intervene.
The search for Mercado intensified, and nearly a month after the initial string of attacks, authorities received a tip that led them to an apartment where he was hiding with one of his accomplices, Linda Garcia. Both surrendered without incident as police surrounded the building. Jeneya Jackson, the third suspect, had been apprehended earlier.
Mercado now faces charges of aggravated robbery alongside his accomplices and an additional charge of aggravated assault stemming from the earlier shooting outside the convenience store. The case has raised alarm within the community, highlighting concerns about violence and safety in public spaces.
The investigation continues as authorities piece together details surrounding these dangerous incidents and seek to ensure the community’s safety.