HOUSTON – Eight people with Houston addresses were arrested in Lake Charles, Louisiana, in connection with what officials believe was an ATM theft ring, according to a release from the Lake Charles Police Department.
Officers responded to the 4100 block of Nelson Road in Lake Charlesat 3:30 a.m. Thursday.
“During the course of the investigation, numerous patrol officers, SWAT officers, detectives, and with the assistance of the Louisiana State Police, 8 arrests were made,” officials wrote.
All eight suspects provided Houston addresses and were charged with attempted theft, theft of a motor vehicle and racketeering.
The suspects are:
- Reginald Simmons, 21
- Quaylon Bown, 28
- Rodney Hill, 19
- Don Tyrone Jr., 24
- A’jae Carr, 25
- Javarion Davis, 29
- Harold Oliver, 32
- Jamaul Hunt, 24
Officials say they investigated five previous ATM thefts in Lake Charles they believe are related to the Thursday attempt, beginning in September. Each suspect faces a bond of $1.3 million.
Sulphur, Louisiana
An attempted ATM theft in the nearby town of Sulphur is also believed to be connected to this theft ring, officials say.
Surveillance footage from Sulphur shows three suspects tying a chain to an ATM machine on Ruth Street and dragging it away with a truck Thursday morning. The machine was later found near the intersection of East Kent Drive and West Kent Drive. The ATM is valued at more than $18,000, officials say.
Officials say when officers pursued the suspects in Sulphur, three occupants of the truck stopped in the front yard of a home and fled police. Two were caught after a brief chase and the third was found and arrested a short time later. Officials learned that the truck was previously reported stolen in Houston.
The three men arrested in Sulphur are:
- Joshua Jemille Lee, 24
- Effron Anthony Williams, 18
- Daivion Anthony Banton, 30
All three face felony criminal damage to property, felony theft, resisting an officer and felony possession of a stolen vehicle, officials say.
KPLC-TV in Lake Charles assisted with this report.