HOUSTON – A new crime trend is picking up steam, and collecting victims in every corner of Houston, according to police.
It is called 'jugging', and it specifically targets bank and ATM customers.
"They follow you from the bank to another location then break into your car to get the money, or if that won't work they rob you," Houston police Sgt. Arturo Bazan said.
Perpetrators of the crime have followed victims to their homes, work and retail locations waiting for the perfect opportunity, according to police.
Wednesday, the Houston Police Department's northeast tactical unit caught two jugging suspects, possibly responsible for a dozen such crimes, according to Sgt. Bazan.
Undercover officers tracked Kanavius Dorsey, 22, and Prince Woods, 24, from a northeast Houston bank to a Sam's Club parking lot not far from the Astrodome.
"We caught them red-handed breaking into a car," Sgt. Bazan said.
"I don't do that stuff. I get money my way," Dorsey, handcuffed, told Local 2's Joel Eisenbaum at the arrest scene.
Jugging victims, according to police, do not seem to fit a particular demographic. It is a question of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Police acknowledge it is difficult to avoid becoming a victim in 'jugging' crimes.
"That is what they do for a living, you have to be very aware of your surroundings," Sgt. Bazan said.
It is not clear why the crime earned the nickname 'jugging', it appears to be variation on the term 'mugging'. Another officer chimed in that long ago, money would leave banks in jugs, hence the term.