ONLY ON ABC-7: Alleged jugging victim speaks about burglary

An alleged “jugging” victim is sharing his story only on ABC-7.

The name of the type of burglary stems from gold currency that was carried in a jug in stagecoaches more than a century ago.

ABC-7 first told you about the three crimes that happened May 1 on Monday and El Paso police said they have four Houston men in custody for engaging in burglary of vehicles and thefts.

“A red car pulled up … against my car backwards with a paper license plate,” Ignacio Lazo said. “Before I knew it, they broke the window to my car and opened up the glove compartment and took the remaining cash I had in there.”

The 62-year-old retired man said it took the burglars less than 30 seconds to steal hundreds of dollars from his car. He believes at least two of the four Houston men in custody were responsible for taking the money he needs to pay bills.

Loza withdrew $2,100 from the GECU branch on the 11900 block of Rojas Drive in east El Paso. He said he left $1,800 in his car while he was making his T-Mobile payment and that’s when the criminals hit. He said he was followed by more than just criminals from the bank to the cellphone store, but also undercover cops who were following the suspects after a similar jugging just hours before.

“I was very disappointed to find out T-Mobile management did not allow El Paso police to come in through the back to prevent it,” Loza said.

Police said there was also a third victim burglarized a couple hours after Loza was.

“Be careful of your surroundings,” Loza said. “If you don’t have to carry a large amount of cash, don’t carry it, but don’t leave it in your vehicle.”

El Paso police advise always being aware of your surroundings and never leaving money inside an unattended vehicle. If you suspect you’re being followed, they suggest parking in a public lot and calling 911.