Police continued to search Monday for two teenagers who robbed a
bank in south Morgan Hill and made off with an undisclosed amount
of cash.
MORGAN HILL
Police continued to search Monday for two teenagers who robbed a bank in south Morgan Hill and made off with an undisclosed amount of cash.
Morgan Hill Police Cmdr. David Swing said detectives are continuing to investigate the robbery, but have not closed in on any promising leads. The local department is cooperating with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which has jurisdiction over this and most bank robberies.
Police responded to a call of a bank robbery about 10:40 a.m. Thursday at Bank of America at 101 Vineyard Town Center, near the intersection of Monterey Road and Tennant Avenue.
Two Hispanic males in their teens went inside the bank and demanded money, Swing said. They left with an undisclosed amount of cash, and fled.
According to police, the bank’s teller said one of the men approached her and handed her a note demanding money. No weapons were seen, but the suspect reached to his side, suggesting he might have had a weapon, and the teller handed him cash.
Another male suspect was seen standing at the bank’s front door. Once the suspects received the cash, they left the bank and fled westbound through the parking lot. Police do not know if they fled on foot or by vehicle.
For several hours, police blocked off streets surrounding Vineyard Town Center, including Monterey Road, as they searched for the suspects. The area around La Vista Court, Sunnyside Avenue and Casino Real west of the bank was the target for the search until the early afternoon Thursday.
At one point during the search, according to chatter on police radios, officers found foot tracks indicating one of the robbers had jumped a fence near Sunnyside Avenue and continued walking up a gravel roadway.
The suspect that approached the teller was described as a 17 to 18 year old Hispanic male, 5-feet, 10-inches tall, 150 pounds, clean shaven, shaved head, and medium to dark complexion. The second suspect was described as a 17 to 18 years old Hispanic male, 5-feet, 6-inches tall, 150 pounds, with dark short hair, mustache, and dark complexion.
Numerous MHPD officers, including the K-9 unit, and sheriff’s deputies helped in the search, Swing said.
The FBI was called immediately after the robbery happened.
The last bank robbery in Morgan Hill took place at the same bank March 7, 2008. That incident involved a lone robber wearing a towel around his face and displayed a gun during the robbery, firing one shot before fleeing on a scooter. One witness inside the bank was slightly injured by a bullet fragment. The robber got away with about $3,100 cash.
In February 2006, the Wells Fargo at the corner of Main Avenue and Monterey Road downtown was robbed by a man who put his hand underneath his shirt to simulate a gun.
Anyone with information about this robbery may call the MHPD at (408) 779-2101 or the anonymous tip line at (408) 947-STOP.
