Three men in their 20s from Texas suspected of vehicle break-ins in Irvine were behind bars Wednesday.
Investigators said the trio was part of a national trend of what authorities refer to as “bank jugging” in which thieves watch for customers leaving a bank with cash and then break into their vehicle at their next stop.
Maurice James, 24, Samuel Marcus Polite, 20, and Javion Marcell Matthews, 22, have been booked on suspicion of conspiracy, vehicle burglary, vandalism, possession of burglary tools and stolen property, according to Irvine police.
There were two such burglaries on July 2 that led them to the suspects, police said.