PHOENIX — Three men were indicted for a string of multi-state ATM robberies after Tempe police found a video game controller inside a vehicle the suspects allegedly abandoned.
Maurice Brooks, Micah Lazaro and Anthony Smith were arrested in Houston on federal charges of bank robbery and conspiracy to commit offense or defraud the United States, according to a Tempe Police Department Wednesday release.
Two of the suspects have been extradited and one is in the process of being extradited to Arizona, according to police.
How did a video game controller lead Tempe police to ATM robbery suspects?
At approximately 10 a.m. on Nov. 5, the three suspects allegedly robbed a Bank of America ATM in Tempe. The men approached two ATM technicians who were repairing a drive-thru machine, according to police.
The suspects allegedly stole multiple cash-filled containers used to store bills for ATM withdrawals. In total, the suspects allegedly took nearly $280,000 in cash and fled in a dark vehicle.
Video surveillance footage helped police get details on the suspects’ vehicle.
Within an hour, a GPS tracking device hidden in some of the containers led police to a nearby apartment complex. Officers located the empty cash containers and the suspects’ abandoned car.
Investigators found a PlayStation 5 video game controller inside the suspects’ car, which helped crack the case.
The investigation linked the suspects to a Houston-based group that specializes in ATM heists and has committed robberies in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Tucson, Sacramento and Olathe, Kansas.
The investigation remains ongoing.
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