Infamous Felony Lane Gang Caught For Seat Belt Violation

Suspected members of the infamous Felony Lane Gang were arrested Tuesday as part of a routine traffic stop, where officers discovered nearly 12,500 dollars, 22 credit cards, 5 checkbooks, 40 grams of pot, 11 drivers licenses from across the country and even 14 wigs.

The mountain of loot was initially hidden, but State Police Spokesperson Trooper Melissa Matey says the officer’s quick wit led to the arrest.

“While the trooper was speaking with the driver there were some things that just weren’t quite right. There were some inconsistencies in statements, and where they were going, there were also some inconsistencies inside the vehicle.”

The suspects were arrested on Veterans Boulevard in Jefferson Parish.

The Felony Lane Gang originates from south Florida and allegedly has committed a number of crimes across the south, specializing in smash and grab thefts from parked cars. There’s been a cross-state effort to round up members of the criminal crew, but Matey says these three suspected members were not picked up because they were being tracked.

“They were actually not looking for this vehicle ahead of time, this was the seatbelt violation which included the two occupants and the driver. They simply weren’t wearing their seatbelt.”

The Gang will take identification and credit cards, as well as checks, from vehicles, then have one of the members disguise themselves, often using wigs, to look like the card’s holder, where they will then go to banks and withdraw large sums of cash.

Matey says The Felony Lane Gang is a regional terror but has targeted St. Tammany Parish several times, as recently as 2017. Matey says this is a good reminder for folks to not leave valuables in their cars unattended.

“They have burglarized vehicles in recreational parks such as Pelican Park where there is a lot of people, a lot of cars, a lot of movement. Once the ballgames start people aren’t usually in the parking lot.”