San Antonio woman robbed at gunpoint during Zoom call as participants call for help

Two suspects ransacked victim’s residence taking multiple pieces of property, police say

A woman in Texas has been robbed at gunpoint while in the middle of a Zoom meeting, with those looking on from their screens calling for help, a report has said.

The disturbing incident began on Friday at around 2.50pm on the northwest side of San Antonio when two assailants  “forced their way” into the unidentified victim’s apartment, police alleged in a statement.

A 19-year-old man, identified as Adrian Guillen, and an unnamed 15-year-old suspect, allegedly went on to “ransack the victim’s residence taking multiple pieces of property”.

During the alleged robbery, Mr Guillen “used a weapon [to] demand the victim’s property” police said. KENS5 reported that one of the suspects put a gun to the victim’s head.

The broadcaster also reported that the victim had been in a Zoom meeting when the robbery occurred and that other participants watched on as the crime unfolded.

The attendees on the video call reportedly informed their boss of what was happening and the police were called to help, the outlet claimed.

Following the ransacking, the suspects in the house allegedly fled the scene in a white Honda Accord driven by a third suspect, identified as 39-year-old Jaime Trevino, KENS5 reported.

Police said they tracked down the suspects and followed them to another address where they allegedly began to start unloading the stolen items.

“During this time, Officers arrived on scene and quickly took all three suspects into custody without incident,” San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) said in the release.

The Independent has contacted the SAPD for further comment and to confirm details reported by KENS5.

Such incidents have become less unusual amid the coronavirus pandemic, with more members of the population working from home throughout the day.

In December last year, a special education teacher in Ohio was robbed at knifepoint in her home in the middle of a virtual meeting with a student and their parents.