'Felony Lane Gang' Suspected in Farmington Hills Purse Thefts

FARMINGTON HILLS, MI – The notorious “Felony Lane Gang” interstate theft and fraud ring is believed to be responsible for a rash of thefts of purses and other bags from vehicles, Farmington Hills police said.

The most recent thefts occurred from locked vehicles at public parks, police said in a news release Wednesday. Purses and gym bags that resemble purses have been targeted.

The thefts were crimes of opportunity, police said, because they were left in plain view. The suspects broke windows to gain entry, police said.

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A possible suspect and vehicle were observed around 3 p.m. Saturday, when a purse theft from Heritage Park, located on Farmington Road south of 11 Mile Road, was reported stolen.

The suspect is described as a black male with a goatee wearing a red shirt. He was driving a maroon Jeep Chevrolet with no registration plates, police said.

Gang members mainly look for purses that are left in plain view in parked cars at public parks, child daycare centers and other public locations, police said, explaining they typically enter the vehicles, usually by breaking the window, and remove the property.

Other members of the group then commit fraud by taking credit cards, checks, and identification to banks to obtain money, police said.

The group has been active throughout the United States.

Anyone who witnesses suspicious subjects and vehicles at parks, child daycare centers and other public locations is asked to contact police in the city where the suspicious activity occurred.