PEARLAND, TX — Two Florida men were arrested in Pearland after police say suspicious ATM activity led officers to a chase, a vehicle search and the recovery of more than $6,000 in cash.

The Pearland Police Department said the incident began Wednesday, Sept. 16, around 6 p.m. Officers were sent to a bank in the 9900 block of Broadway Street after reports came in about suspicious activity at the ATM drive-thru.

Police said a masked man was making multiple transactions with several different cards and withdrawing large amounts of money before officers arrived.

Masked ATM activity drew officers to Broadway Street

According to Pearland police, the initial call involved activity that raised immediate concerns at the bank’s drive-thru lane. Officers were told that one man appeared to be using different cards in a series of transactions while pulling out large amounts of cash.

That call set off the chain of events that brought officers to the scene and led them to follow the suspect vehicle. Police said the person seen at the ATM was wearing a mask.

As officers were responding, the suspect got into the passenger seat of a white GMC Sierra and the truck left the area, police said.

Drone helped officers track the truck to Smith Ranch Road

Pearland police said a drone was used to help locate the truck after it left the bank area. An officer found the white GMC Sierra in the parking lot of a business in the 2500 block of Smith Ranch Road.

Police said the passenger got out of the truck and started walking away, but an officer detained him. The driver remained inside the vehicle at first, then took off, according to police.

That move turned the stop into a pursuit as officers tried to catch up with the truck. The department said multiple officers attempted to pull it over, but the driver did not stop.

Dash cam captured cash flying from the moving truck

During the chase, police said the driver threw large amounts of cash out the window of the truck. The Pearland Police Department said dash camera video captured the money being tossed from the vehicle.

The pursuit continued until the truck stopped in the 1600 block of Max Road. Officers then took the driver into custody without further incident, police said.

Afterward, officers recovered more than $6,000 in cash that had been thrown from the truck during the chase. Police did not say how much cash may have been withdrawn from the ATM or whether all of the money involved has been accounted for.

Florida pair identified and booked into Brazoria County Jail

Police identified the passenger as Tarvares Givens of Florida. He was arrested and charged with failure to identify, according to the Pearland Police Department.

The driver was identified as Levon Steven Jr. of Florida. Police said he was arrested and charged with evading arrest and tampering with evidence.

Both men were in custody at Brazoria County Jail at the time of the police update. The department said the investigation remains active.

Detectives are still reviewing possible fraud charges

Pearland police said detectives are continuing to look at the case for additional fraud-related charges. That means the arrests already made may not be the end of the investigation.

The department has not announced any further charges, and it has not said whether anyone else is being investigated. For now, the case centers on the ATM activity, the truck’s flight from the bank area and the money recovered during the chase.

Investigators also have not said who owned the cards used at the ATM or how the cash fit into the larger financial inquiry. Police say they are still working through those questions.

Broadway Street call turned into a citywide police response

What started as a suspicious ATM complaint quickly expanded into a coordinated police response across several Pearland locations. Officers first focused on the bank on Broadway Street, then used aerial support to locate the truck, and finally ended the chase on Max Road.

The sequence shows how quickly a financial-crime investigation can shift into an arrest situation once a suspect leaves the scene. In this case, police said the truck’s driver made the situation more serious by fleeing and discarding cash along the way.

With both men now in jail and detectives still reviewing the case, Pearland police say the investigation is continuing.