San Antonio celebrity Spurs Jesus brings suspected Southtown burglar to justice

Jose Medina, 19, faces a charge of burglary of a habitation. Jose Medina, 19, faces a charge of burglary of a habitation. Photo: Bexar County Sheriff's Office Photo: Bexar County Sheriff's Office Image 1 of / 105 Caption Close San Antonio celebrity Spurs Jesus brings suspected Southtown burglar to justice 1 / 105 Back to Gallery

SAN ANTONIO — A man suspected of trying to break into a home in Southtown probably never imagined a brush with divinity would be what landed him in jail.

A San Antonio resident known commonly to the South Texas masses as Spurs Jesus was doing laundry inside his home around 3:20 p.m. when he heard a noise coming from a second floor window, according to a San Antonio Police Department report.

The Spurs home-game fixture, who dresses up like Jesus Christ to root for the Silver and Black, was already on edge that day due to an incident the week before in which a stranger walked into to his bedroom while his girlfriend was lying in bed.

“She ran into the bathroom in a panic and asked if anyone should be in the house,” he said.

The local celebrity ran outside to see if he could find the intruder, but there was no one in sight.

“All weekend long we had been concerned and on-edge about it,” he said.

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So, on Monday, when the Spurs super fan heard suspicious sounds in his house, he tracked them to an upstairs window and threw open blinds.

“There was somebody by the window on the second story of our house with their fingers under the window pane,” he said.

The document said the suspect, identified as Jose Roberto Medina, 19, was surprised and took off toward the River Walk.

Spurs Jesus gave chase and pushed Medina to the ground, but he managed to jump into the river and swim across to get away.

Once he had made it to the other side, however, he realized that his bike was back with his pursuer.

“He yells at me across the river, ‘I need my bike back sir,’ he said. “Obviously, in a very adrenaline-filled way, I basically said come and get it.”

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He said the man decided to cross a bridge on the river, apparently thinking that his victim was going to return the bike.

“The whole time I’m on the phone with police as he is walking toward me. I told 911 he was standing right there, and I would hold him down until they arrived.”

When the suspect heard that, he took off again, sparking yet another brief chase that ended abruptly when he was tackled.

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While on the ground, a second suspect ran up to the pair and tried to grab Medina’s backpack, which he had tried to throw into the river during the chase, according to the report.

Medina managed to shake free from Spurs Jesus' grip as he tried to call police again, but just as he did, officers arrived at the scene.

The report said Medina jumped into the river again and tried to hide in tall grass when police arrived, but officers were able to track him down and take him into custody.

Medina is currently being held at the Bexar County Jail. He faces a charge of burglary of a habitation.

mdwilson@express-news.net

Twitter: @MDWilsonSA