On Thursday, March 9, 2023, at approximately 11:30 a.m., a detective with the Austin Police Department Robbery Unit was canvassing the 6000 block of South Congress Avenue for surveillance regarding a separate incident when an employee of a game room flagged him down. The employee told the detective that a pair of men had robbed the business recently.
Surveillance video from the business the employee mentioned showed two suspects unknown to the employee approaching the locked front door of the game room. The employee, also one of the victims in this case, answered the door, and the first suspect entered. The suspect immediately pulled a black semi-automatic pistol out and placed it against the victim's head. The second suspect entered and locked the door behind him. The suspects demanded that the victim open the game room machines to get the cash. Another employee inside the business was also pistol-whipped and robbed of their belongings.
A bystander who realized what was happening wrote down the suspect vehicle's license plate, which was registered to a pickup truck, and handed the note to someone inside the game room.
As the suspects left the scene, security cameras got a good image of both faces as they left in the pickup truck.
During the investigation, the detective discovered that the first suspect and owner of the pickup truck was Jaylen Orlando Alfaro. The second suspect, Zacquez Manyae Victor, was identified through social media profiles.
Additionally, the investigation revealed that Alfaro is Victor's music manager. The two men were recently scheduled to perform at a venue with other musicians known as Gary Spencer and Jovan Smith.
"Information our detectives received indicated that this event was unaffiliated with SXSW.", said the APD.
Members of the Violent Crimes Task Force (VCTF) conducted surveillance at Alfaro's home and saw both the robbery suspects and the pickup truck used in the crime. During the operation, Victor exited the house wearing some of the same clothes he had worn during the robbery. Alfaro and Victor's photos were matched against the surveillance video at the game room, positively identifying them as the suspects. Detectives obtained arrest warrants for Aggravated Robbery for both.
Gary Spencer, known as "King Savage," a musician mentioned earlier, was also at the house. Spencer had an outstanding warrant for evading police issued out of Hays County.
Victor and Alfaro were arrested for Aggravated Robbery, and Spencer was arrested for his outstanding warrant out of Hays County. A fourth person, Jovan Smith, a musician called "Cosmo Santana," was also inside the home. He was arrested for an outstanding warrant for Criminal Mischief out of Bell County.
Detectives discovered a black pistol inside Victor's backpack, and a second pistol was found in Alfaro's bedroom. The clothes seen on surveillance at the game room were also found and seized as evidence. During an interview, Victor admitted to the robbery and reported that the pistol he had in his backpack was the same one he had used during the robbery.
