Police arrested three suspects months after a Christmas Eve ATM theft in White Settlement that went viral online.
The White Settlement Police Department identified the suspects as Jay Gerard Jones Jr., 28; Aaron Tre Vuentae Rabon Alex, 26; and Bronya Keshawn Freeman, 24. Each faces a first-degree felony charge of engaging in organized crime. All three remain in the Tarrant County Jail.
The crime unfolded just before 3:45 a.m. on December 24 at a convenience store in the 2600 block of South Cherry Lane.
Two men pulled up in a stolen SUV taken out of Dallas. Surveillance video shows one suspect smashing the storefront with a sledgehammer, then running inside and attaching a metal cable to an ATM while shelves of merchandise collapsed around him.
The driver then hit the gas.
The SUV ripped the ATM straight through the front of the building, tearing it loose and damaging a parked vehicle outside. The suspects fled within minutes.
They didn’t get far.
The ATM came loose during the escape and landed along the Interstate 30 service road between South Cherry Lane and South Las Vegas Trail. Officers later recovered it. No injuries were reported.
Investigators tracked the suspects using license plate readers and camera systems across the area. Officers located the stolen SUV abandoned in the 2700 block of Shenandoah Road in Fort Worth. The Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office processed the vehicle for evidence.
The case broke open fast.
Police said a Crime Stoppers tip identified one of the suspects within 24 hours after the surveillance video spread and drew national attention.
Detective Geovanny Ramirez worked with agencies across North Texas — including Bedford, Euless, and the Texas Rangers — to determine whether the suspects tied to similar ATM thefts in the region. He later secured three felony arrest warrants tied to the case.
Police recovered all stolen cash and continue to pursue additional charges tied to related incidents.
White Settlement Police Chief Christopher Cook said the case required “extensive investigation, strong partnerships and quick work by the department’s investigative team.”
Investigators continue working to connect the suspects to similar crimes across North Texas.
