A Texas lawmaker wants to crack down on 'jugging,' the practice of targeting people who leave a bank or high-end store.
State Representative David Cook from Fort Worth wants jugging turned into a separate criminal offense in the state, KHOU-11 reported.
In a "jugging", a criminal might wait for someone to pull cash out of an ATM and then quickly snatch the money or wait for someone to leave a fancy store and then snatch their items. In other cases, the criminal might wait and follow the victim.
That was reportedly what happened to one jugging victim who went to the bank and then stopped by her church a few minutes down the road, KHOU-11 reported. The woman was inside the church for a short time, but when she came backthe window was smashed and the $1,000 she had taken out was gone.
"I'm praying for them, you know, and it's not the right thing to do," the woman told the station.
Cook introduced the bill on Jan. 16, which would define jugging under the criminal statute and make it a third-degree felony if the criminal breaks into a vehicle while "jugging." The bill would enhance the crime to a first-degree felony if the criminal commits a robbery or an aggravated robbery during the "jugging" process, Click2Houston reported.
In 2023, Houston police established a task force specifically focusing on rising jugging-type crimes in the city.
"What we are asking for today, is for citizens to be aware of their surroundings. When you leave those types of places, please pay attention to if you're being followed. If you feel like you are being followed, please call the police," Commander of the Houston Police Department's Auto Theft Division, D.F. Hitzman, told the station.
