Suspects wanted for attempted robbery at Sacred Heart Church
Hollister – B-I-N-G-Oh, no you don’t.
Two gun-toting masked robbers failed to steal the proceeds of Sacred Heart Church’s weekly bingo game and fled the scene.
One of the men, described as being 5-feet, 5-inches tall and about 160 pounds, entered the church gymnasium shortly before 11pm and ordered the volunteers – a mother and her three children – to the ground, Hollister Police Information Officer George Ramirez said. The man was carrying a rifle or shotgun and a red mask covered his face. Another masked man, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and jeans, stood outside the gym door watching for police, Ramirez said.
The man then tried to kick in the door of the room he thought contained the church’s safe and bingo money, but fled the scene with his lookout shortly after discovering that the safe was not in the room, Ramirez said. The mother and her school-age children, who were putting away tables after bingo night, were not injured and no shots were fired, Ramirez said. Police are searching for both men.
Father Rudy Ruiz, the church’s pastor, was offended by the attempted robbery but grateful that no one was hurt.
“Everyone, whether Catholic or not, feels that this was a violation of an institution that should be respected,” he said. “This says so much about these men.”
Sacred Heart Church has held weekly bingo nights every Friday for more years than Ruiz could remember, without incident, he said. The bingo night usually draws between 150 and 165 people, but nearly all the players had left before the attempted robbery, Ruiz said.
Chavez said the robbers never demanded the keys and that bingo volunteers do not have access to the safe – which contains an undisclosed amount of money – under any circumstances.
Ruiz said bingo nights will continue, albeit with additional security and increased police patrols in the area. However, paying for a security guard will take away from the fundraiser’s proceeds. Ruiz said he did not know how much it would cost to hire a security guard.
And although the incident was upsetting, Ruiz praised the police for their quick response.
“We’re so proud of the service and protection offered by the police,” he said. “They took this incident very seriously.”
Anyone with information regarding the attempted robbery should call Detective Tony Lamonica at the Hollister Police Department at (831) 636-4330.
