NORTH TEXAS — Confronting armed robbers at your own home, where you expect to feel safe, is extremely frightening. Another driveway robbery, also known as jugging, occurred in North Texas and was captured on video. A car was captured on a security camera turning onto Fox Run Drive in Watauga at approximately 5 p.m. on Monday.
In this peaceful neighborhood, the tranquility is suddenly disrupted as two individuals emerge from a car brandishing firearms, robbing a couple who had recently come back from a nearby bank. The couple gave money, got minor injuries as the two robbers ran away on foot, and the driver drove off.
One suspect has been apprehended, but the rest remain on the run. It mirrors Mark Gardner’s encounter when he arrived at his North Dallas residence in September and faced three armed men attempting to rob him before he managed to escape.
Gardner expressed his wish that this situation would never occur for anyone. “I have trouble sleeping at night.” Victims like Gardner and others are being targeted by armed robbers who follow them home, in a new variation of an old crime known as jugging.
“It’s like a revival of a previous crime trend where people would try to rob individuals after they left the bank,” explained Dr. Timothy Bray, a criminologist at the University of Texas – Dallas. “In previous years, there were recurring problems with ATM robberies. Many banks in New York City and other major cities had ATMs located in locked rooms, allowing you to see who else was present.”
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Dallas Police report seven jugging attacks in 2024. In Gardner’s situation, he shared video evidence with the authorities, leading to just one arrest.
Gardner expressed his disillusionment and disappointment, not with the police, but with the legal system. “I felt that the image captured by the camera lacked depth.” The couple who were attacked in Watauga on Monday mentioned that they own a restaurant and had gone to the bank to get a week’s worth of cash for customer change.
A recent warning from Austin Police advises the public to stay vigilant when leaving banks, refrain from keeping cash in vehicles, vary their route home, and carry cash and cards inconspicuously.
The Watauga Police Department also mentioned in a statement to CBS News Texas that if individuals believe they are being watched or followed, they should notify bank staff or drive to the nearest police department for help. This message could have prevented this couple from a traumatic experience or saved others from becoming victims.
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