AUSTIN, Texas — The Austin Police Department is seeking the public's assistance in identifying two suspects in a case of jugging and assault.
"Jugging" is when a criminal follows someone who has withdrawn cash from an ATM, bank or other money service and robs the victim at a different location.
On Friday, Sept. 9, at 2:25 p.m., the APD responded to a case of jugging that led to the criminals following the victim home and later assaulting her.
The victim withdrew cash from a Wells Fargo, located at 10900 Research Blvd., then two suspects in a gray four-door BMW reportedly followed her home. When the victim began to enter her home, police said the first suspect ran up behind her and began to violently attack her while stealing her purse.
During the assault, the suspect reportedly threw the victim on the ground and dragged her across the pavement. The victim was taken to a hospital to be treated for her injuries.
The suspects were described as follows:
Suspect 1: Male, 20s, 5 feet, 9 inches tall, thin build, wearing a black hoodie, black pants, white socks, white Adidas slides with black stripes, surgical mask, dark colored gloves
Suspect 2: Unknown; driver of the vehicle used in the jugging
This incident comes less than two months after APD said there were at least 61 jugging incidents between January and July. As of September, police confirmed they are now investigating 84 cases, of which 13 have been classified as a robbery. To date, the total amount believed stolen is around $590,000.
In a press conference Monday afternoon, police said it appears suspects have been targeting elderly women, mostly of smaller stature. Police also provided the following tips for those who must get withdrawals at the bank:
- Be aware of your surroundings.
- Take note of people in the lobby or around a bank where you may be getting money or valuable items from. This could be a person who is sitting on a sofa or in a car around a bank and seems unoccupied.
- Don't leave anything visible, such as a bag, in your vehicle unattended, even if that item is empty. Remember: "Take, hide and lock." Don't leave valuable things or sums of money in your car.
- Be aware of people in line behind you at a bank or ATM or whether they're following you.
- Once in a parking lot, watch out for cars that have been sitting there or people sitting in cars.
- Lock your doors as soon as you get into your car.
- If you fall victim to a jugging, call 911 immediately.
- Keep receipts from the time you were at the bank or store where you got robbed from.
- Notify your bank or store about what happened, as they are working with police to prevent crimes like this.
APD Robbery detectives are currently working on this case with the Violent Crimes Task Force and the Violent Crimes Interdiction Unit. It is unknown at this time if the case is related to a separate jugging incident.
Anyone with more information about these types of incidents is asked to call the APD Robbery tip line at 512-974-5092, call Crime Stoppers at 512-472-TIPS or use the Crime Stoppers app. You can also submit tips by downloading APD's mobile app, Austin PD.
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