New organized theft targets victims leaving Franklin banks
Police said the thieves drive behind the victim to rob them wherever they go after the bank.
FRANKLIN, Tenn. (WSMV) - The Franklin Police Department is investigating a new organized crime wave targeting people across the city after they get money from the bank.
The “bank jugging” operation is very concerning, officers said. It involves thieves watching from outside a bank for people leaving with cash. They then drive behind the victim to rob them wherever they go next.
Officer Ryan Schuman said jugging can be very dangerous because it includes everything from a thief breaking into a car at another business to following someone home and robbing them at gunpoint.
“It could be one criminal; it could be five criminals. We just don’t know,” Schuman said. “They’re doing different methods of operation. At this time, we don’t know enough about exactly how it is happening. But we know it is happening more than we want to, and we are very nervous about it.”
Schuman said every detective with the Franklin Police Department is currently working on at least one jugging case from the past couple of months. That includes the most recent robbery that happened after someone left the Wells Fargo on Royal Oaks Boulevard. They had $4,000 stolen from their car.
Police said this has become a huge issue and difficult to investigate because the thieves are targeting different banks across the city and the robbery is happening away from the bank where there is less security.
People like James Jarboe said they’re surprised this is happening in Franklin and are paying extra attention to their surroundings.
“Don’t be locked into your cell phone,” Jarboe said. “Watch where you are going, keep your head on a swivel, look around. If you see something unusual, it probably is. If you feel uncomfortable, go back into the store, and ask for some assistance from the management. Don’t be ashamed to do that. Police are more than willing to respond and help you.”
If you do leave a bank and see someone following behind you, Schuman said you should immediately call 911 and ask for help. An officer will catch up to you and intercept the potential jugger.
“We want you to be super observant to those types of things,” Schuman said. “Whether you think it is real or not, call us. Give us the opportunity to get behind that suspect vehicle.”
At this point, police have not made any arrests in these jugging cases, but officers said they are keeping an eye on multiple suspects.
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