PLANT CITY, Fla. (WFLA) — The Plant City Police Department is looking to identify a suspect who was caught on camera committing a vehicle burglary in an apparent case of “jugging.”
“When that person leaves or gets in their vehicle, the criminal will follow them to a second location, and in our case, locally, the person left the vehicle and once the vehicle was unsecured, the suspect, broke in and took the money,” Captain Al Van Duyne said.
Police said a witness was sitting in their vehicle within the Strawberry Hill Plaza and saw a Hispanic male use an unknown object to break the left rear window of the victim’s grey pick-up truck. After breaking the window, the police said the suspect climbed into the vehicle through the broken window.
Police said the witness started filming the incident with their cell phone.
The witness captured video of the suspect exiting the vehicle from the left rear window carrying a yellow envelope, which police said contained money.
The witness also recorded a video of the suspect leaving the area in a silver Honda Pilot SUV bearing Florida tag B5D-NZF.
Police said that prior to arriving at the plaza, the victim withdrew money from a nearby bank and may have been followed to the plaza by the suspect.
After the victim parked in the plaza, the suspect entered the vehicle.
Police believe the incident may have been a “Jugging” incident, a popular form of robbery committed by criminals who will watch and follow a victim as they leave from a bank or ATM machine, check cashing location, or other location after having withdrawn or received money.
Once the victim leaves, the criminal follows the victim to their next location, where they either confront the victim for the cash or burglarize the vehicle and take the money.
“It does look like he was very determined, and he was very direct, and he knew what he was looking for,” said Captain Van Duyne.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Manuel Diaz at the Plant City Police Department, (813) 757-9200.