For the second time in less than 30 days, Gilroy was the site of
a bank robbery spurning one branch manager to call other banks
to
”
band together.
”
For the second time in less than 30 days, Gilroy was the site of a bank robbery spurning one branch manager to call other banks to “band together.”
A white male approximately 6 feet tall and between 30 and 40 years old took control of a Rabobank branch at 761 First Street and bolted with an undisclosed amount of cash Wednesday, according to the Gilroy Police Department.
The suspect – last seen wearing a gray-hooded sweatshirt, cargo shorts and tennis shoes – entered the branch just before 3:30 p.m., brandished a handgun and demanded money from a bank teller, GPD Sgt. Chad Gallacinao said.
“Basically, he took over the bank,” Gallacinao said.
The teller complied and the man fled with an undisclosed amount of money, according to police.
Gallacinao said the GPD wouldn’t release the amount of money stolen “for public safety reasons.”
He also said the GPD wouldn’t comment on possible explanations for the two recent robberies.
“We are not going to speculate as to why these robberies took place or what motives there were at this time,” he said.
Security photos of the suspect weren’t released Thursday as police continued to gather evidence, Gallacinao said.
“We’re all OK, the staff was very professional,” said Rabobank Branch Manger Deanna Franklin, who said she was inside the bank during the robbery. “We’ve been here almost eight years and have never been robbed. I can’t believe someone was that gutsy.”
Franklin, who confirmed the suspect was carrying a weapon at the time of the robbery, said she planned on contacting mangers of other local banks in an effort to raise awareness.
“Maybe that will put them on high alert,” she said. “If we all band together, maybe these individuals will know there’s a network of branch managers watching the banks.”
Wednesday’s incident occurred less than a month after the city’s last bank robbery.
On March 14, a suspect described as an Asian male between 30 and 40 years old slipped a note to a teller demanding money at a Bank of America branch on Monterey Road, according to the GPD. The man made off on foot with an undisclosed amount of cash, a portion of which later was found on a Valley Transportation Authority bus in Morgan Hill, according to police. Gallacinao said the GPD would not release any more information on the man’s getaway at this time “as to not compromise the investigation.”
That suspect also has not been located, and police were still investigating how the money ended up on the bus, Gallacinao said.
Brenda Castillo, assistant manager for the Monterey Road Bank of America branch, was surprised Thursday morning to hear there had been another bank robbery in Gilroy.
“What? No. We did not know,” Castillo said.
Carlos Ramos, assistant manager at a U.S. Bank branch at 905 First Street, said he was not aware of Wednesday’s robbery, which occurred less than a half mile from his branch.
When asked if Gilroy banks informed one another when they were robbed, Ramos said, “Apparently not.”
Different banks don’t always notify one another when a robbery occurs, but it is sometimes done as a courtesy, Castillo said.
Bank managers were mostly tight-lipped Thursday when discussing how branches respond to robberies. Bank of America spokeswoman Colleen Haggerty said that was because banks tend to let law enforcement officials decide which details to release. She did say branches tend to close between several hours or an entire day “depending on the gravity of the incident.”
Haggerty said she didn’t know whether it was common practice for banks within a local area to inform one another following a robbery.
Castillo said she couldn’t reveal many details about Bank of America practices, but said her branch had employed additional security and revisited employee training since the March 14 robbery.
“There’s always training and reviewing,” she said. “There’s always that extra heightened alert. We’re always supposed to be prepared.”
That training allows employees to rely on their instincts during a robbery, Castillo said.
“They automatically kick it into gear,” she said.
Tom Taggart, spokesman for Union Bank of California, said each Union Bank branch was subject to extensive risk assessment and its employees received “lots of training” in the way of bank robbery preparedness, though he offered no further details.
The ability to stop robberies is “hit and miss,” but every bank has a plan for them, said Brigette Nicholls of South Valley National Bank. She said bank employees needed to be aware of their environment. Suspicious vehicles, strange customer behavior and anything else that seems odd should be accounted for, she said.
“That’s all you can do,” Nicholls said.
Most banks in Gilroy often share security photos or suspect descriptions following robberies, she said.
Gilroy banks were hit by a string of robberies several years ago.
On March 27, 2009, Gilroy police arrested Peter Klein after he robbed a Chase Bank branch on First Street of more than $35,000.
Klein, who garnered the nickname “No Face Bandit” for his dark glasses, nylon stocking and baseball cap disguise, was accused of robbing 11 banks between December 2007 and March 2009. Four of those banks were in Gilroy, police said, including the same Bank of the West branch on First Street twice in just over two months. In all, Klein stole more than $80,000 from banks in Gilroy, according to court documents.
Nicholls said a poor economic climate can sometimes be a reason for an increase in robberies.
“People are going to look for means to take care of what they need to take care of unfortunately,” she said.
Staff Writer Blair Tellers contributed to this story.
