Police warn about robberies of bankgoers in Burbank

Summer Lin
·2 min read
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A Bank of America customer uses an ATM at a branch in Hollywood on October 19, 2010. Two top US banks are moving on the offensive as they struggle to put the foreclosures quagmire behind them, but the scandal continues to menace the financial sector. Bank of America, the country's largest bank by assets, said it was lifting freezes on more than 100,000 foreclosure cases in 23 states, insisting it had not found any flaws in their processing. Bank of America, which had announced a nationwide moratorium on foreclosures to review its paperwork on October 8, nevertheless said the freeze will stay in place for now in the remaining 27 states. AFP PHOTO/Mark RALSTON (Photo credit should read MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images) ** TCN OUT **
Police are warning about a surge in "bank jugging," in which robbers follow a bank customer who's just withdrawn cash. (Mark Ralston / AFP/Getty Images)

An increase in "bank jugging" robberies has prompted law enforcement officials to release safety tips on how to avoid being a victim.

At least a dozen or so "bank jugging" robberies have taken place the past year in Burbank, according to Burbank Police Department Lt. Derek Green. Although such robberies have been a problem in the city for the past three to five years, there's been a significant increase in the last two years.

In “bank jugging,” robbers typically wait for their victims in bank parking lots, follow them to their next destination and break into their cars, Green said. People who leave envelopes filled with cash in their cars find out later that they've been robbed, he said.

Other times, criminals will follow their targets to another location, perhaps when the victims are running another errand, and will rob them at gunpoint, according to Green.

An example of such a crime took place Sept. 15 when Burbank police responded to a report of a car break-in. A person had withdrawn money from a bank and left the money in the car with the door unlocked, according to a police news release. The money had been stolen when the person returned to the car.

The next day, another robbery was reported near the intersection of Burbank Boulevard and Ontario Street, in which a person was robbed in an alley after withdrawing money from a nearby bank. The victim told police that two men punched and kicked him until he dropped the money he was holding. The men grabbed the money and drove away.

The two robberies were likely committed by the same people driving the same car, according to surveillance video from both incidents, police said.

Three suspects were arrested last week after Burbank police detectives saw them break into a parked car in Garden Grove, according to a police news release. Two of the men were identified as suspects in previous crimes in that city.

Green said he believes the suspects were responsible for more incidents in neighboring cities and that there is an active investigation looking for more potential victims.

"Always be aware of your surroundings," Green said. "If you're going to go into a bank to withdraw a lot of money, conceal that money when you leave. Don't be walking out with an envelope, and we also suggest not running other errands between the bank and your place of safety. We absolutely discourage leaving a large amount of cash in your car."

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.