CALIFORNIA – Three men are in custody after committing a vehicle burglary July 8 and may be connected to additional bank-jugging cases.

Maurice James, 24, Samuel Marcus Polite, 20, and Ja Vion Marcell La Shang Mathews, 22, all of Texas, were booked into Orange County Jail on charges including conspiracy, vehicle burglary, vandalism, and possession of burglary tools and stolen property.

A nationwide trend known as “bank-jugging,” involves suspects surveilling banks and watching for customers who withdraw cash. 

They then follow the victims to their next stop and break into the vehicle to steal the money.

Real Time Crime Center helped identify the suspect vehicle

On July 2, officers investigated two vehicle burglaries in Irvine, where victims had just withdrawn money. 

The Real Time Crime Center helped identify the suspect vehicle as a black Ford Expedition with a license plate recently stolen in Irvine.

On July 8, detectives surveilled the Expedition that was displaying a fake license plate. They watched the suspects visit banks across Orange County, believing they were looking for victims.

In Seal Beach, the suspects burglarized a car, stealing a banker’s bag, after the owner had conducted a banking transaction.

Detectives stopped the Ford Expedition shortly after and arrested all three suspects. 

When detectives searched the suspect’s vehicle, they found the stolen banker’s bag, a fake license plate, burglary tools, a ski mask, and cash. Detectives are investigating if the men were involved in the Irvine cases on July 2.

Law enforcement urges banking customers to be discreet when making cash withdrawals and to be aware of their surroundings. 

If you withdraw cash, proceed directly to a safe drop-off destination.

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