11 arrested in crime ring bust after Sam's Club break-ins across Houston area

HOUSTON – Eleven suspected thieves, one dressed in a security guard's uniform, were arrested Thursday in a crime ring bust after a break-in at a Sam’s Club in north Harris County.

The Houston Police Department had apparently been watching the group for some time. They said the men had been targeting the big box stores. The HPD Task Force staged units at several Sam’s Club locations as part of a sting operation, investigators said.

Investigators said the group first broke into the store on the South Loop near Fannin and stole cash from the ATM. Then, they went to the Sam's Club on I-10 at Market, but a security guard scared them away, police said. The group of men ended up at the Sam's Club Richey, where several units swarmed the suspected thieves, who were in seven different vehicles, and made arrests.

It is unclear why the men targeted Sam's Clubs or how long the robberies had been taking place.

Investigators said they believe the organized group had robbed other stores and ATMs.

The names of the suspects were not immediately released.