The San Antonio Police Department has put a stop to a purported jugging operation in the city, resulting in the arrest of three men accused of following bank customers and robbing them of their cash. According to a KENS 5 report, the suspects, identified as 20-year-old Jacoby Williams, and 25-year-olds Dontrel Trayon Clark and Broderick Craig Graves, were stalking banking customers as part of an organized theft ring.
These individuals were observed following a victim who had withdrawn money and carried it away in a large envelope from a bank. The men's attempt to break into the victim's car and steal the envelope was foiled as they were caught in the act by SAPD. The department, already on alert due to the suspects' status as serial offenders, was able to prevent a the attempted theft. "Each of those suspects were serial offenders," SAPD public information officer Camelia Juarez said in a statement obtained by KSAT.
Police have charged Williams, Clark, and Graves with attempted theft of an amount greater than $25,000, which constitutes a felony. They were walking the three suspects before cameras, signaling a law enforcement victory in their crackdown on jugging crimes, and preparing to book the suspects into the Bexar County Adult Detention Center. Jugging, described by authorities, involves targeting individuals who have just taken cash out of banks or ATMs and then robbing them.
The apprehension of the suspects was immediate, after the victim, unsuspectingly pursued, left the envelope inside their vehicle at an undisclosed location. SAPD has underscored the importance of caution among the public, recommending that people keep large sums of money concealed and within their personal reach until in a secure place. According to the same KSAT report, the department's financial crimes investigators continue to track individuals they suspect are involved in such criminal activities, aiming to stem the tide of jugging incidents plaguing citizens.
