Results tagged “bank” from Crime & Courts

A man dressed in "motorcycle leathers" and a helmet pointed two guns at tellers today and robbed a Rancho Palos Verdes bank, deputies said.

The robbery at the Union Bank branch at 20 Miraleste Plaza occurred about 10 a.m., Lomita sheriff's Lt. Greg Ahn said.

The man, wearing a complete motorcycle riding outfit,  held a gun in each hand, but fired no shots.

No one was hurt.

He was last seen riding away on a motorcycle south on Palos Verdes Drive East.
Lomita sheriff's detectives and FBI agents are investigating.

The amount of money taken was not disclosed.

We've all seen the stories from time to time about the kid who finds a bag of money and turns it in to the police. The kid is usually hailed a hero for his honesty. Often if the money is returned to the person who lost it, the kid gets a reward.

So, that said, after parking outside a market on Sunday evening, I noticed a white envelope on the ground when I got out of my car. On it, someone had written "$9,500."

I picked it up. "Please let there be money inside," I thought to myself. I was disappointed it was empty.

I suspect that the envelope once contained money that belonged to the market, and I hope whoever last held the envelope had already deposited the cash  in the bank. Hopefully nobody lost it.

I admit I'm not sure what I would have done if it contained $9,500. That would have made life a lot easier.

Would I have turned it in? Probably. We've all watched The Twilight Zone. I'd probably have faced some horrible consequences if I didn't. And, oh the guilt of wondering who it belonged to. I'd worry some old man had lost his life savings. Or worse, it belonged to some drug dealer who would never stop looking for it.

But, wow. No more car payments. A week's vacation someplace.

I wonder what I would have done.

A Florida bank robber was seeing red Monday when a dye pack hidden inside the wad of stolen cash exploded in his pocket.

The whole thing was caught on surveillance tape. Watch for the red cloud in this AP report:

Here's the press release FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller released Saturday evening about the Weathergirl Bandit:

ALLEGED “WEATHERGIRL BANDIT” IDENTIFIED BY CITIZENS IN CONNECTION WITH SOUTH BAY HOLD-UPS

A Los Angeles woman who was identified through tips from the public as the woman who allegedly robbed four banks in South Bay Los Angeles over the past three weeks was arrested and was taken into custody this afternoon, announced Salvador Hernandez, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI in Los Angeles and Rod Uyeda, Chief of the Manhattan Beach Police Department.  

Felicia Ellen Jones, 45, of Los Angeles, was arrested in connection with the string of bank robberies linked to the“Weathergirl Bandit.”  Jones was sought by FBI agents and detectives with the Manhattan Beach Police Department since last evening, after tips from anonymous callers were received by both agencies.  Sources claimed they recognized the woman in the bank surveillance images as Jones, when the photos were published in the newspaper and on television.  

After verifying the source information, agents and detectives sought Jones last night and throughout today.  Those efforts led to successful negotiation with Jones, and her arrest, which occurred without incident after she agreed to meet agents and detectives at a designated location in Los Angeles, accompanied by her attorney.

During her bank robberies, the Weathergirl Bandit approached the victim teller and possessed a friendly demeanor, though her notes demanded cash, and witnesses stated she had simulated or threatened a weapon.   On each occasion, the bandit entered the bank wearing various outfits, sometimes described as "flashy" or even overdressed for the weather.   She was nicknamed the Weathergirl Bandit because she discussed the weather with the victim teller to disguise her intention of robbing the bank.  Jones is suspected in the following four bank robberies:

Manhattan Beach: 2/29/08        Hermosa Beach:    3/5/08
Manhattan Beach:  3/11/08        Manhattan Beach:  3/19/08

Jones will be held at the Manhattan Police Department through the weekend and will be turned over to federal custody on Monday morning.  It is anticipated that Jones will be charged federally with bank robbery on Monday, March 24th, and will be afforded an initial appearance before a U.S. Magistrate in US. District Court in Los Angeles.

This investigation and arrest is the result of an investigation by the FBI in Los Angeles and the Manhattan Beach Police Department.   Photographs of current bank robbers in Southern California can be found on the FBI’s bank robbery website in Los Angeles at www.labankrobbers.org.