Plano police arrested three men suspected of being in an organized car burglary ring called the ”Felony Lane Gang” that targets women.
Detectives arrested Cedric Humphrey, Timothy Brown and Tremaine Bradshaw on Wednesday.
Investigators saw one of the men wearing gloves while walking between cars at a Plano tennis center. The men drove away when the officer approached, but were later arrested. Police found stolen items inside their rental car.
“This is huge. This organization, we don't even really know how big they are, but they're all over the nation,” said David Tilley, an officer with the Plano Police Department.
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Tilley said this is the ninth arrest of a suspected gang member in the last year.
“Felony Lane Gang” members are suspected in cases in South Carolina, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Colorado, Florida and Georgia.
Other “Felony Lane Gang” members are suspected of other car burglaries in Lewisville, Grapevine, Frisco, McKinney and Kaufman County.
“They're not just hitting one city at a time," Tilley said. "They're hitting multiple cities in the Dallas area. All agencies around here, we're all dealing with this."
Detectives say the members snoop around parking lots in rented cars and look for women leaving their car without their purse.
“They know most women don't travel anywhere without their purse, so that’s the target that they focus on. They know that there is a high probability that inside that vehicle is a purse,” Tilley said.
The thieves are also suspected of hitting targets in a wide variety of settings. Investigators are looking at cases where purses were stolen from cars outside of nail salons, fitness centers, malls, dog parks, play grounds and even the car-line of a daycare.
Tilley said the burglaries can take just a few seconds. In an instant, the purses and cash are gone. Tilley also said some members are also stealing victim’s identities.
“Property can be replaced. Identification, that's tough. That is something that takes years to recover,” Tilley said.
Plano police suggest that women always take their purse with them when possible. If they are going to leave the purses in their trunk, police suggest putting the purse in the trunk before they arrive at their destination.
Tilley also added that if women see anyone acting suspicious in a parking lot, call police.
