Police are on the lookout for a lone gunman who robbed a Santa Barbara Rabobank at 2222 Bath Street at 10 a.m. this morning, May 24. According to city police spokesperson Lt. Paul McCaffrey, the suspect entered the bank armed with a black semi-automatic handgun which he reportedly threatened employees with, ordering them to the floor.
The suspect made off with an undisclosed amount of cash and witnesses reported that he fled out the bank’s back door toward Pueblo Street. He was described as a white male in his mid twenties to early forties, average height and build, short blond hair. He was last seen wearing a black beanie, white pull-up socks, and white shoes. The suspect, said McCaffrey, was also wearing black gloves and carried a large black bag over his shoulder.
According to McCaffrey, the case is being investigated jointly with the FBI. Anyone with information is urged to contact Det. Brian Jensen at (805) 897-2335 or Special Agent Patrick Conley at (310) 629-9553.
This latest robbery comes just three days after a man robbed the Los Padres Bank located at 197 North Fairview Avenue in Goleta. According to Drew Sugars with the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department, the suspect entered the bank on May 21 and handed a teller a note demanding money. He claimed to have a gun, though no witnesses described seeing one. The suspect was described as a white male in his mid thirties, 6’3” tall, 220 pounds, and sporting a goatee.
He was last seen leaving the area on foot. The Sheriff’s Department and Goleta Police Department, said Sugars, deployed more than a dozen officers in an attempt to identify and apprehend the suspect, though he purportedly slipped away.
McCaffrey said that based on the two suspects’ descriptions and the way in which the crimes were carried out, he doesn’t think they’re related. He noted, though, that the investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information regarding this case should contact Sheriff’s detectives at (805) 681-4150, the Sheriff’s Anonymous Tip Line at (805) 681-4171 or FBI Special Agent Patrick Conley at (310) 629-9553.