A 17-year-old migrant in the country illegally and two juvenile suspects are accused of a chaotic crime spree in Austin, Texas, that involved stealing a gun and five cars while carrying out 12 separate shootings.
Cristian Fajardo Mondragon, 17, was charged with six felonies in connection with the shooting spree over the weekend of May 16-17. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement also lodged an immigration detainer following his arrest.
The shooting rampage left four innocent people injured, including one critically. Along with stealing five vehicles, the teenage assailants shot at five vehicles and three Austin Fire Department vehicles while fire department personnel were nearby. Two Austin Fire stations were also hit by gunfire during the crime spree.
Meet Cristian Fajardo Mondragon, an ILLEGAL ALIEN accused of carrying out TWELVE separate shootings across Austin that critically injured multiple people.
He has been officially charged with six felonies and now has an ICE detainer hold.
This is the kind of person Democrats… pic.twitter.com/jiNUGsKeS9
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) May 25, 2026
Fajardo Mondragon faces multiple charges, including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated assault with a motor vehicle, deadly conduct, theft of a firearm, burglary of a building and three counts of unauthorized use of a vehicle, Fox 7 Austin reported.
Austin Police Department officials allege the suspects carried out 21 criminal incidents, including the theft of five vehicles and a firearm, before firing 105 rounds across Austin, CBS Austin reported.
Fajardo Mondragon is one of three teens allegedly involved in the 12 shootings. Investigators have not released details on the others suspects’ immigration status.
The teens reportedly posted on social media as the crime spree unfolded, while they shot at multiple homes, vehicles and unsuspecting victims, KVUE News reported.
On Friday, the Travis County District Attorney’s Office told CBS Austin that Fajardo Mondragon is still in custody and being is being held without bond. Prosecutors asked the judge to deny bond, arguing that the defendant posed a danger to the community and also has an immigration detainer.
The ICE detainer means immigration officials have requested that local law enforcement notify ICE before releasing the suspect, but it does not indicate what might happen with the criminal case if Fajardo Mondragon is released—or if ICE would initiate removal proceedings.
“That would only kick in once he is no longer authorized to be held by state custody,” Criminal Defense & Immigration Attorney Robert Jimenez told Fox 7 Austin.
The other two suspects, ages 15 and 16, are going through a different justice system because they are minors. Police are limited in what information they can release about them.
The crime spree prompted a shelter-in-place order for several hours on May 17 in nearby Manor, Texas, as police tried to locate the suspects, KVUE News reported. Austin officials are also under fire for ending the use of license plate readers, which helped Manor police locate the stolen vehicle in less than an hour.
Four people were shot, including a 16-year-old victim who was shot 10 times and hospitalized, during the 28-hour crime spree across the city. Three others suffered minor injuries, according to the Austin Police Department.
Most of the shootings occurred in South Austin and appeared to be a mix of random and targeted shootings. Austin police said during a news conference the shootings struck apartment buildings, homes, businesses and two Austin Fire Department stations.
“We had two individuals at this point that were going and robbing cars and then started firing shots at people,” Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said during a news conference. “A motive? I don’t know what a motive is. I don’t know what motive would drive anybody to come and drive around senselessly in this city, and in multiple parts of the city, shooting.”
The crime spree unfolded around 11:30 a.m. Saturday, May 16 when Austin Police Department responded to a report of a stolen firearm at Central Texas Gun Works in South Austin.
According to court documents, detectives believe the 15-year-old allegedly asked to see the 9 mm pistol inside the store and ran off with it, while Fajardo Mondragon acted as the getaway driver. The stolen gun was used in all 12 shootings, according to court documents and local news reports.
Authorities said Fajardo Mondragon had an active warrant for stealing a firearm from the same gun shop in January. Two of the suspects have tried to steal guns from the same store four separate times, the store owner, Michael Cargill, told Fox 7.
Cargill said he was unaware Fajardo Mondragon had been released by local authorities into the custody of a guardian.
Police also allege Fajardo Mondragon knowingly operated three stolen vehicles without the owners’ consent.
The first shooting was reported around 4 p.m. May 16 when shots were fired at a trailer, followed by six more reported shootings between 4:30 p.m. and 9 p.m.
Austin Fire Station 26 was targeted at 8:49 p.m., while firefighters were inside, and fire trucks and equipment were damaged, KVUE reported. Shortly before 9 p.m., two victims reported shots fired at their parked vehicle and one person suffered minor injuries from shattered glass.
The crime spree continued in the early morning hours of Sunday, May 17, after another vehicle was reported stolen. Around 8:46 a.m., a man was shot in the back and stomach while walking his dog. The assailants shot at Austin Fire Station 32 two hours later, striking a fire vehicle and the building.
A white Kia Optima was reported stolen around 1:30 p.m. Sunday, followed by three more shootings in the next hour. Two people were shot in a drive-by at 1:44 p.m., and a person was critically injured in the 12th shooting reported at 2:29 p.m., KVUE News reported.
Following that shooting, the suspected headed east into the City of Manor. Police used license plate reader technology to locate the white Kia and initiated a pursuit, but the three suspects fled and crashed the vehicle.
A local resident found two of the suspects hiding in his barn and detained the suspects at gun point, Fox 7 Austin reported. Two suspects, including Mondragon, were arrested in Manor around 3:50 p.m. and the third suspect was located at 9:30 p.m.
The suspects also posted on social media as the crime spree was happening, including posts showing Fajardo Mondragon in a car holding a gun. He later admitted to being involved and told police he was in the back seat of the Kia Optima during some of the last shootings on May 17, KVUE reported.
