Armed man walks into South Valley National, demands cash
Gilroy – Police were searching Tuesday afternoon for an armed man who robbed a bank on the corner of First Street and Santa Teresa Boulevard at gunpoint.
Wearing a black sweatshirt, white baseball cap, mask and blue jeans, the suspect, described by witnesses as Hispanic or Middle Eastern with thick or bushy arm hair, entered South Valley National Bank about 3pm, approached a teller, revealed a semi-automatic hand-gun and verbally demanded money, said Gilroy Police Sgt. John Sheedy.
He was described as having a thin build and standing about 5-feet, 11-inches tall, Sheedy said. The suspect was not apprehended as of presstime.
The man was given an unspecified amount of cash and fled the bank in a white truck, that was reported stolen in Gilroy on Monday, but he never left the parking lot in the Ford F-150.
Instead, he drove to the north end of the lot, parked half-way in a space and hurdled a fence, heading into an apartment complex on foot. One of the onlookers watching the events play out, said the truck had been parked at the business since 7:30am.
The vehicle appeared to be a work truck, complete with a tool box and ladder affixed to the top.
After the robbery, police cruisers swarmed the business parking lot, searching through the bushes and keeping watch on the stolen pick-up and the area where he fled.
Officers searched on foot and used the police dog in an attempt to track down the suspect, who they said had probably headed toward the north east edge of city.
Gary Stauber, who happened to be driving up Santa Teresa Boulevard after the robbery, noticed police had set up a perimeter, with guns drawn, in the neighborhood north of the bank. The Aromas resident, who shoots pictures for an equestrian magazine, grabbed his camera and headed toward the action.
But, besides the stake out, which was set up for about 30 minutes, nothing occurred and no arrests were made.
A red dye pack was thrown in with the cash, that will make the money useless and will also mark the suspect, said Sgt. Kurt Svardal.
Svardal said the department had collected some evidence and would continue to pursue leads.
“The belief is that he probably fled before we got there,” he said.
Donna Garcia, principal of Pacific West Christian Academy, located next to the business plaza, said police officers asked her to gather her students at the far end of the school parking lot. While the children waited for rides, police cruisers passed by and one student shouted out “did you get him?”
A bank staffer said no one was injured during the robbery. Bank customers looked confused when they noticed the “sorry we’re closed” sign on the door during the middle of the afternoon.
Anyone with information may call Gilroy police at 846-0300.
