Performances of all kinds — from live music to ancient dance technique — top the list of hot happenings around the Alamo City. Check out the top five things to do in San Antonio this weekend. Friday, February 18 Sebastian Maniscalco: Nobody Does This Tour Actor and comedian Sebastian Maniscalco performs back-to-back sets at Majestic Theatre Friday night. A stand-up star who has headlined shows across the country, Maniscalco has also appeared in such films…

Three people have been arrested in connection with a human smuggling operation at a far West Side shopping center last week.

Christopher Cavazos, Esmeralda Castillo-Sanchez, and Fernando Castanon were arrested by Homeland Security, according to an affidavit.

The three are accused of transporting 25 people who were taken into Homeland Security custody after police spotted them climbing out the back of a big rig and scattering across the parking lot of a shopping center near Loop 410 and Highway 151 last Friday.

Police said they chased down the immigrants, finding some of them hiding in garbage dumpsters in the shopping center, the affidavit said. Investigators later discovered 25 people had been inside the cargo area of the tractor-trailer.

During an interview with Homeland Security, Cavazos said a female from high school introduced him to a man to transport undocumented immigrants from Laredo to San Antonio.

Cavazos told investigators he would be paid after the group made it to San Antonio.

On Feb. 10 Cavazos was given a burner phone in Laredo where he would receive instructions from an unknown person. Investigators said Cavazos was given keys to a tractor-trailer and was instructed to drive the trailer to an open lot and leave so the group could get into the tractor-trailer, the affidavit said.

Officials said Cavazos was contacted a short time later and was instructed to return to the trailer and drive to San Antonio.

Cavazos admitted to investigators that he knew there were undocumented immigrants inside but did not see them being loaded.

Once Cavazos made it to San Antonio, he was given a specific location where to park the trailer. He was instructed to wait for the trailer to be unloaded.

However, a person nearby alerted him to run because the police had arrived.

In a separate interview, Castanon told investigators that his friend was hired by a man in Mexico. On Feb. 11 Castanon, his friend and two others left Laredo at 2:00 a.m., the affidavit said.

Castanon and the others were to wait for drivers to pick up the immigrants in San Antonio. Castanon said he was supposed to be paid $300 for his participation, the affidavit said.

Homeland Security also interviewed Castillo. According to investigators, she said she was approached by a man she knew at a meat market in San Antonio who asked if she was looking for work. He then asked if she would be willing to transport seven undocumented immigrants for $150 per person.

Castillo agreed to transport them and told investigators that she knew the people were being smuggled from Laredo in a tractor-trailer.

The 25 people inside the tractor-trailer were also turned over to the Department of Homeland Security. When interviewed, some of the people told investigators they had paid a fee to be taken across the US-Mexico border and into Texas.

Cavazos, Castillo, and Castanon are all facing charges of conspiracy to transport illegal aliens.

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A man has been arrested for allegedly shooting his girlfriend during an argument at a West Side apartment complex, records show.

Israel Moreno, 30, was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon following the Feb. 5 incident in the 5100 block of West Commerce St., according to records with the Bexar County Jail.

Officers arrived at the apartment to find the victim, 18, shot in the abdomen, police said in an arrest warrant affidavit. She was taken to the hospital in serious condition.

She was screaming in pain and was unable to give officers a statement, the affidavit states, but witnesses said she had an argument with Moreno before shots were fired.

Another witness said they saw the man leaving the apartment after gunshots rang out.

Records show Moreno was arrested Wednesday night. His bond is set at $80,000.

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Deputies with the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office arrested a 31-year-old man after methamphetamine and fentanyl pills were found at his home, authorities said.

Joseph Garza had a warrant out for his arrest when deputies went to his home on Monday, and that’s when they found drugs “in plain view,” BCSO said.

Deputies searched the home and discovered 101 grams of methamphetamine, 308 grams of fentanyl pills, scales, packaging equipment and narcotic ledgers.

“To put into perspective of how lethal illegal fentanyl pills actually are, according to the DEA, 42% of seized fentanyl pills tested contained at least 2 mg of fentanyl – which is considered a lethal dose,” BCSO said in a Facebook post.

The drugs are worth an estimated street value of $12,750.

Garza was arrested on charges of possession of a controlled substance PG 1 to 4 Grams, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, PG 1, and unlawful carry of a weapon with felony conviction, records show.

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A driver managed to escape serious injury after his vehicle caught fire early Thursday morning.

The fire occurred just after 2 a.m. in front of Park North Plaza, not far from Blanco Road and Loop 410 on the city’s North Side.

A male driver said he was traveling on the access road of NW Loop 410 when he heard loud pops and saw an orange glow from beneath his windshield wipers. That’s when, the driver said, he pulled into the parking lot to inspect the vehicle.

The man said he got his things out of the car just before an explosion. Firefighters arrived and quickly knocked down the fire, authorities said.

The San Antonio Police Department and San Antonio Fire Department both answered the call.

No injuries were reported.

Two people were taken to an area hospital following a rollover crash on the city’s Northwest Side late Wednesday night, San Antonio police said.

The crash occurred around 10:15 p.m. in the 7700 block of Mainland Drive, not far from Tezel Road and Bandera Road.

According to police, a two-vehicle collision caused the truck to rollover off the road. The second vehicle was considered drivable and was later cleared from the scene, police said.

SAPD said the driver of the truck was taken by EMS to University Hospital, with minor injuries. A passenger was also taken to a hospital to be checked out.

Authorities say alcohol did not play a factor in the crash. The cause of the collision is not currently known.

The San Antonio Police Department, the San Antonio Fire Department and EMS all answered the call.

The investigation is ongoing, police said.

San Antonio police are investigating after two 17-year-olds were wounded in a drive-by shooting on the city’s West Side late Wednesday night.

Officers were called around 11:30 p.m. to a home on Glendale Avenue, not far from West Commerce Street and South Acme Road after receiving word of two people injured.

According to police, the two teens said they were on Estrella Street when a vehicle pulled up alongside them. That’s when, police say, someone pulled out a gun and fired shots out the window and then fled. The individual has not been found.

The two teens were both shot in the leg and they ran to a house on Glendale Avenue where they called for help. The pair were taken by EMS to University Hospital, in stable condition.

At this time, a motive for the shooting is not currently known. A description of the shooter and vehicle were not released.

The San Antonio Police Department, the San Antonio Fire Department and EMS all answered the call.

The investigation is ongoing, police said.

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Editor’s note: This story was published through a partnership between KSAT and the San Antonio Business Journal.

After originally planning to begin construction in October 2021, the team behind a massive mixed-use development between Boerne and San Antonio broke ground on Lemon Creek Ranch last week.

The 118-acre ranch property — a part of Central Texas’ ever-growing development — will add restaurants, retail space, residences and parks between Interstate 10 and Balcones Creek.

Valcor Commercial Real Estate — the developer of the project — announced in August that a roughly 106,000-square-foot grocery tenant would anchor the first phase of the build.

In a Thursday press release, the company did not release a reason for the construction delays.

Bexar County records show that H-E-B bought almost 14 acres at the site in January 2021. Jonathon Collins, managing director at Valcor, confirmed the Texas grocer would be the main anchor of the project.

H-E-B acknowledged that the company owns the property, but it has not confirmed plans to open a store at the development.

“We are not ready to disclose any of our known tenants but we have been very excited and pleased with not only the activity but the tenant mix itself that is evolving quickly at the development,” Collins said in a written statement to the Business Journal.

Besides focusing on retail space, Valcor is creating 25 acres of parks on the site, complete with walking trails at Lemon Creek.

Other possible developments for the mixed-use project include apartments, for-rent townhomes, a hotel, and office space.

The real estate firm said the design concept will pay homage to Central Texas’ character, featuring buildings with stone, wood, steel and glass.

The project team for the master-planned development includes Austin-based Nelsen Partners Architects, Raleigh, North Carolina-based engineering firm Kimley-Horn, and local firm Joeris General Contractors.

Click here to read this story in full on San Antonio Business Journal.

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