Five men from Houston have been arrested by Torrance police for allegedly robbing victims who they followed out of banks.
The suspects, all ranging in age from 20-27, were arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of various crimes, including robbery, conspiracy and vehicle burglary, according to Torrance police Sgt. Ronald Harris.
“Investigators believe these suspects are involved in `bank jugging,’ a term coined to describe suspects who sit in bank parking lots and watch customers carrying bank bags,” Harris said. “The suspects follow customers they believe possess large amounts of cash and look for an opportunity to burglarize their vehicles or rob them directly.”
According to Harris, a victim who just left a financial institution had $16,000 taken from his parked vehicle while he ate lunch on Tuesday in a Taco Bell.
“Investigators quickly identified multiple suspects, then observed them commit a robbery the following day after a customer left a Hanmi Bank branch in Los Angeles,” Harris said. “Investigators recovered stolen money and binoculars during their follow-up searches.”
The suspects were identified as Trey Dickerson, 25; Sebastian Glass, 20; Shai Fields, 24; Adrian Caldwell, 26; and Darrian Haywood, 27.
Fields, Dickerson and Glass were all being held in lieu of $2 million bail while Haywood was being held in lieu of $115,000 bail and Caldwell in lieu of $50,000, according to sheriff’s inmate records.
All five men were due to appear in court in Torrance on Friday, according to the sheriff’s department.
Police advise people to “immediately secure their bank bags and envelopes after visiting their local banks and credit unions.”
–City News Service