AUSTIN, Texas — A 31-year-old man is behind bars in connection with a "jugging" robbery that happened in North Austin. It's the second jugging the Austin Police Department has responded to in a matter of days.
"Jugging" is when a criminal follows someone who has withdrawn cash from an ATM, bank or other money service and robs the victim at a different location.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 Monday, Sept. 12, APD responded to a call reporting a robbery at an apartment complex in the 7200 block of Easy Wind Drive. The victim told officers he had just arrived from the bank with a large sum of cash.
As the victim got out of his car, the suspect drove up in a Cadillac with a temporary paper license plate, exited the vehicle and approached him. The suspect grabbed the victim, pushed him against the wall and demanded money, per APD. The victim handed his cash to the suspect, who then got back into the vehicle and fled the scene.
APD said a member of the Violent Crimes Task Force happened to be in the same area and noticed a gold Cadillac with a temporary tag. Not knowing at the time about the robbery or the description of the vehicle, the officer was later able to remember several characters from the tag after learning of the robbery. That, along with surveillance and research, helped detectives learn that the suspect vehicle had gone to San Antonio.
The VCTF and robbery unit traveled to San Antonio to continue the investigation. Through interviews and observations, detectives were able to confirm that 31-year-old Jamarcus Drumgole was the suspect in the case.
Drumgole was charged with robbery and booked on an arrest warrant, APD said. He reportedly has a history of aggravated robbery, assault, burglary and narcotics charges in another jurisdiction, APD said.
Other people were identified and questioned in connection, with APD saying more charges may come from this investigation.
APD responded to a separate jugging on Sept. 9 where criminals followed the victim home and assaulted her there. Authorities are still searching for two suspects in connection with the incident.
Police confirmed that, as of September, they are investigating 84 jugging cases, with 13 of those classified as robberies. They believe the total amount stolen to date is around $590,000.
APD shared tips for those withdrawing cash 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.
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