Shoppers in Utah, Nevada and Idaho were targeted by an interstate crime gang who were eventually captured hundreds of miles away in Wisconsin
A quiet Utah town is the latest locality plagued by “distraction thefts” against unsuspecting shoppers carried out by “interstate crime groups” – transient criminals who travel the country to steal before crossing state lines to strike elsewhere, often affiliated with Romanian and South American crime rings.
Over the past year, St. George has seen 37 such distraction thefts perpetrated at grocery stores, retailers and restaurants. Sgt. Zack Bahlmann told Fox News Digital that the St. George Police Department began encountering the new modus operandi about three years ago.
“Predominantly, we have these suspects working in groups of two or three entering business establishments,” Bahlmann said on Wednesday. “One person will engage – they’ll identify a target, they’ll look for a person that has a purse or a wallet that’s in the shopping cart or readily accessible.”
“One of the people will engage the target, ask them a question about the product, something to divert their attention away from that cart,” he continued. “Then another person will pull something out of the cart.”
Gypsies.