bank robbery

Capital One Branch Robbed on Columbia Pike

By ARLnow.com

Suspect in the robbery of a Capital One branch on Columbia Pike (photo courtesy ACPD)Arlington County Police and the FBI are asking for the public’s help in identifying a man who robbed a bank on Columbia Pike Friday evening.

The Capital One branch on the 3500 block of Columbia Pike was robbed around 5:40 p.m. A suspect approached a teller, implied a weapon and demanded money. He fled with an undisclosed amount of cash.

No one was hurt during the robbery.

“The suspect is described as a black male, approximately 5’5” to 5’8” tall, with a medium build and wearing all dark clothing,” police said in a press release.

“If anyone has information on the identity and/or whereabouts of this individual, please contact Detective P. Mulvaney of the Arlington County Homicide/Robbery Unit at (703) 228-4239 or [email protected],” police said. “Anonymous tips can also be provided through the Arlington County Crime Solvers Hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).”

UPDATED: Bank Robbery in Shirlington

By ARLnow.com
Phota courtesy of ACPD
Phota courtesy of ACPD
Phota courtesy of ACPD
Phota courtesy of ACPD
1/16

(Updated at 3:10 p.m.) Arlington County Police are on the scene of a bank robbery in Shirlington.

The robbery occurred around 12:15 p.m. at the BB&T Bank branch at 2700 S. Quincy Street. Two men in ski masks robbed the bank while armed with at least one handgun.

“At least one of the robbers was armed and jumped the teller counter to obtain money from teller drawers,” police said. “After obtaining the money, both subjects exited the bank with an undisclosed amount of money.”

Investigators could be seen on the ramp from Shirlington Circle to I-395 photographing and picking up a large amount of cash, stained red from a dye pack, on the side of the road. Police scanner traffic also reported that a gun was thrown out of the getaway vehicle on Shirlington Circle, as the suspects fled northbound on I-395 toward D.C.

Four bank employees and three customers were inside at the time of the robbery. Two customers who werethere spoke to reporters after coming out of the bank. They saw the men with their masks and a gun and said they were “very scared.” Customers and bank employees were herded into the bank vault during the robbery, the customers said.

Immediately following the robbery, police were told to be on the lookout for two black males, approximately 30-35 years of age, driving a large blue SUV with D.C. tags.

“Subject one is described as a tall male wearing a dark colored jacket, black ski mask that covered his head, grey or light colored gloves, grey pants and a black backpack,” police said. “Subject two is described as wearing a dark colored jacket with a grey hooded sweatshirt underneath that was pulled over his head and a ski  mask covering his face and light colored gloves.”

From an ACPD press release:

The FBI is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads to the identification, arrest and conviction of these bank robbers.

The FBI’s Washington Field Office and the Arlington County, Virginia, Police Department are investigating this bank robbery and request that anyone with information call the FBI at 202-278-2000 or Detective Cynthia Garcia with the Arlington County Police Department at 703.228.4195 or [email protected] To report information anonymously, contact the Arlington County Crime Solvers at 866.411.TIPS (8477).

FBI Watched as Pike Wells Fargo Was Robbed

By Ethan Rothstein

FBI agents on the scene of a bank robbery at the Wells-Fargo on S. George Mason DriveAn FBI SWAT team observed while three men allegedly robbed the Wells Fargo at Columbia Pike and S. George Mason Drive at gunpoint on Tuesday, apprehending the suspects a block away after the robbery had been committed.

The men — two from Maryland and one from Washington, D.C. — had been under FBI surveillance after being suspected of committing several bank robberies around the D.C. area, according to federal prosecutors.

The men left the bank with $47,000, but were apprehended a block north on George Mason Drive. They have been charged with armed bank robbery.

Below is the full press release from the U.S. Attorney’s office.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – James McNeal, 63, of Hyattsville, Md., James Link, 56, of Washington, D.C., and Alphonso Stoddard, 59, of Forest Heights, Md., were charged today by criminal complaint with armed bank robbery.

Dana J. Boente, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Valerie Parlave, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement after the initial appearance of defendants Link and Stoddard before United States Magistrate Judge John F. Anderson.

The defendants each face a maximum penalty of 25 years’ imprisonment if convicted.

According to court documents and court proceedings today, the FBI received information in December 2013 that McNeal, Link and Stoddard had been responsible for the armed robberies of multiple banks in the Washington metropolitan area.  After identifying the subjects, the FBI kept the three men under close surveillance, which included observing the defendants as they cased banks in Arlington, Va. for potential robberies.

On December 31, 2013, FBI agents followed the three subjects as they drove from Maryland to a Wells Fargo bank branch in Arlington.  An FBI SWAT team was prepositioned near the Wells Fargo bank before the defendants arrived.  At approximately 1:15 p.m., Link and Stoddard entered the bank with their faces covered.  Link brandished a gun and pointed it at individuals in the bank, while Stoddard jumped the teller counter and removed approximately $47,000 in cash from teller drawers.  The two men exited the bank and returned to their vehicle, where McNeal was waiting.

As the three subjects attempted to flee the scene, FBI and Arlington County Police apprehended them approximately one block away.  A handgun and cash were found in the vehicle.  A search of McNeal’s house in Hyattsville, Md. led to the discovery of additional firearms, gloves and items of clothing that were linked to previous bank robberies.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Washington Field Office with the assistance of the FBI’s Baltimore Division and the Fairfax County and Arlington County police departments.  The United States Attorney’s Offices for the District of Columbia and the District of Maryland also provided assistance in the investigation.  Assistant United States Attorney Adam B. Schwartz is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

Criminal complaints are only charges and not evidence of guilt.  A defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty.

BREAKING: Suspects Apprehended after Bank Robbery

By ARLnow.com
1/5

(Updated 2:20 p.m.) Three suspects have been apprehended after a bank robbery on Columbia Pike.

The Wells Fargo Bank at the corner of S. George Mason Drive and Columbia Pike was robbed this afternoon, according to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. Three suspects have been taken into custody, he said.

The robbery occurred around 1:20 p.m., according to scanner traffic.

Significant police activity at the intersection is impacting traffic and 16-line Metrobuses. Northbound George Mason Drive is closed at Columbia Pike.

 

BREAKING: Elderly Woman Hurt in Bank Robbery

By ARLnow.com
1/8

(Updated at 2:05 p.m.) An elderly woman was taken to the hospital after being injured in a bank robbery on N. Glebe Road.

The robbery happened around 11:20 a.m., in the Wells Fargo bank at the corner of N. Glebe Road and Lee Highway.

Police say two black males entered the bank, displayed a handgun, and ordered everyone inside to the floor. An 82-year-old woman was hurt when one of the robbers threw her to the ground while exiting the bank, said Arlington County Police Department spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.

About 14 people were inside the bank at the time of the robbery, according to Sternbeck.

The men fled the scene with an undetermined amount of money and remain at large. The woman was transported to Virginia Hospital Center with minor injuries, Sternbeck said.

Surveillance photos courtesy of ACPD

Navy Federal Robbers Sentenced

By ARLnow.com

Gavel (Flickr photo by Joe Gratz)Four men who robbed a Navy Federal credit union in Ballston last December have been sentenced to 60 years in prison.

The men, ages 21 to 24, were convicted in June of three armed robberies in Northern Virginia during the 2012 holiday season. The third robbery, of the Navy Federal, the last of their crime spree.

They robbed the credit union (875 N. Randolph Street) on Saturday, Dec. 22 in a heavily-armed heist reminiscent of a Hollywood movie. No one was hurt and, because police were able to track the money, the men were arrested within an hour of the robbery.

The men were convicted and sentenced in federal court. From the U.S. Attorney’s Office:

Keith Willie Reed, 24, of Washington, D.C.; Tobias Richard Dyer, 21, of Upper Marlboro, Md.; Anthony Cannon, 24, of Washington, D.C.; and Stanley Winston, 23, of Washington, D.C., were each sentenced today to 60 years in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, for conspiracy, robbery affecting interstate commerce, armed robbery of a credit union, use of a firearm during crimes of violence, and being felons in possession of firearms. They were also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $76,915.15.

Dana J. Boente, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Valerie Parlave, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by United States District Judge Claude M. Hilton

Reed, Dyer, Winston, and Cannon were found guilty after a jury trial on June 21, 2013. According to court records and evidence adduced at trial, the defendants committed three armed robberies in Northern Virginia during the December 2012 holiday season. Specifically, on December 7, they robbed VVM, Inc., located in Fairfax County, Virginia. Two days later, they robbed the Shoppers Food Warehouse on Jefferson Davis Highway in Alexandria, Virginia. Then, on December 22, they robbed the Navy Federal Credit Union on Randolph Street in Arlington, Virginia. The total loss amount from these three armed robberies was over $75,000. In each robbery, three of the defendants entered masked while the fourth waited in a stolen getaway car. All four were arrested within an hour of the Navy Federal Credit Union robbery when law enforcement was able to track the money.

This case was jointly investigated by FBI’s Washington Field Office and Baltimore Field Office, and the Metropolitan, Fairfax County, Arlington County, and Alexandria Police Departments. Assistant United States Attorneys Patricia T. Giles and Rebeca H. Bellows are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

Flickr photo by Joe Gratz

BREAKING: Credit Union at TSA’s Pentagon City HQ Robbed

By ARLnow.com
1/10

(Updated at 4:05 p.m.) Police are on the scene of a robbery at the Pentagon Federal Credit Union branch in Pentagon City.

The PenFed branch is located on the ground floor of the Transportation Security Administration headquarters at 701 12th Street S.

Two men entered the credit union around 1:20 p.m. and passed a backpack and a note demanding cash to the teller, according to Arlington County Police Department spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. The men were given an undisclosed amount of cash. They then fled and were last seen getting into a blue-and-white taxicab.

According to scanner traffic, the cab was likely an Arlington Blue Top cab that was waiting at the cab stand between the Pentagon City Metro station and the Ritz Carlton hotel.

No one was hurt during the incident, Sternbeck said. Arlington police are investigating the robbery in cooperation with the FBI and the TSA. From a police press release:

Suspect one is described as a black male, approximately 6’0” tall with a skinny build and a short beard. He was wearing blue jeans, a blue jacket, along with a black and red hat and glasses at the time of the incident. Suspect two is described as a black male, approximately 5’10” and was wearing blue jeans, a grey hooded sweatshirt and blue jacket.

Anyone with information on the identity or whereabouts of these individuals is asked to contact Detective Gary Skeens with the Arlington County Police Department at 703.228.4166,[email protected] or [email protected]. To report information anonymously, contact the Arlington County Crime Solvers at 866.411.TIPS (8477).

The credit union is located within the TSA headquarters complex. Its entrance faces a public plaza that’s open to pedestrians but closed to vehicle traffic. There is an entrance to the TSA headquarters building within the branch, according to TSA spokesman Mark Howell, but one must present an ID badge to use it.

A guard station is located about 100 feet from the credit union, but Howell said the contract guards who man it are trained to initially call police in the event of a crime. They do not provide security to PenFed, which leases space in the building from the property owner, not from TSA.

Police released the following surveillance footage from the robbery:

UPDATED: Bank Robbery in Courthouse

By ARLnow.com
1/7

(Updated at 3:55 p.m.) Police are on the scene of a bank robbery in Courthouse.

A man robbed the Wells Fargo Bank at 2200 Clarendon Blvd just before 1:00 p.m. today (Friday). The bank is in the courtyard of Courthouse Plaza, just steps from the Arlington County government office building and a couple of blocks from police headquarters.

The suspect presented a note to the teller implying he had a gun, and fled the scene with an undisclosed amount of cash, according to police. He “was in and out within minutes,” said police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.

Police quickly surrounded the bank following the robbery, but the suspect remains at large. The FBI also responded to the call, which is protocol in a bank robbery.

The suspect is described as a black male in his 20s or 30s, between 5’6″ and 5’9″, wearing a black windbreaker, a “boonie” hat and dark blue jogging pants with light blue piping on the leg. The man had a thin build and a short beard, police said. He was last seen running northbound in the area of Me Jana restaurant, according to scanner traffic.

BREAKING: Bank Robbery in Clarendon

By ARLnow.com
1/3

(Updated at 4:45 p.m.) Arlington County Police are on the scene of a bank robbery in Clarendon.

The robbery occurred just before 3:45 p.m. Initial reports suggest the suspect made off with about $5,000 in cash from the TD Bank at 3101 Wilson Blvd, across from the Clarendon Metro station.

The suspect obtained the cash after passing a note to the teller implying that he had a gun, according to ACPD spokesman Lt. Mike Watson.

Police are looking for the suspect, now described as a 6-foot tall black male with an average build, wearing a a red, green and yellow Jamaican-style hat. One witness reported seeing the suspect get on a westbound ART bus to flee the scene.

Several ART buses were searched immediately following the robbery, but as of 4:30 p.m. the suspect was still at large. The FBI is en route to assist with the investigation, Watson said.

UPDATED: Two Attempted Bank Robberies in Arlington

By ARLnow.com

Police outside the Giant supermarket on S. Glebe Road(Updated at 2:15 p.m.) Arlington County Police are investigating two separate attempted bank robberies inside supermarket this morning.

A man entered the SunTrust bank at 3713 Lee Highway around 11:10 a.m. and passed a note to a teller demanding money. A weapon was implied but not seen, and the man reportedly fled before receiving any cash.

The bank is located within a Safeway supermarket in the Cherrydale neighborhood.

The suspect is described as a black male wearing a red Nationals hat, a navy blue raincoat, jeans and New Balance sneakers. The man was between 5′ 9″ and 5′ 10″, in his late 40s or early 50s, with a black and gray beard.

June 10, 2013 bank robbery suspect (photo via Arlington County Police)Some 20 minutes later, police were called for another attempted bank robbery at the PNC Bank at 2901 S. Glebe Road, inside a Giant supermarket.

The suspect passed a note demanding money and implying a weapon, but appeared nervous and again fled before receiving cash. The suspect description is similar to that of the first attempted robbery, according to Arlington County Police Department spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.

From a police press release:

The Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit, along with the FBI’s Washington Field Office, is seeking the public’s assistance in identifying a bank robbery suspect captured in surveillance footage at separate locations.

The initial robbery attempt occurred at 11:08 a.m. on June 10, 2013 in the 3700 block of Lee Highway at the Suntrust Bank inside of Safeway. Twenty minutes later, the suspect attempted to rob the PNC Bank located inside the Giant Food Store in the 2900 block of S. Glebe Road. On both occasions, the subject entered the bank and approached a teller with a handwritten note demanding money and implying he had a weapon. The suspect fled the scene on foot each time without receiving money.

He is described as black male in his late forties or early fifties with a medium build. He was wearing a striped polo shirt underneath a dark-colored jacket, with blue jeans and a Washington Nationals baseball hat.

Anyone with information on the identity or whereabouts of this individual is asked to contact Detective Gary Skeens at 703.228.4166 or Detective Richard Conigliaro at 703.228.4193 with the Arlington County Police Department or [email protected]. To report information anonymously, contact the Arlington County Crime Solvers at 866.411.TIPS (8477).

UPDATED: Bank Robbery in Ballston

By ARLnow.com
1/4

(Updated at 11:25 a.m.) Police are investigating a bank robbery at the BB&T Bank branch at Fairfax Drive and N. Taylor Street, about a block from the Ballston Metro station.

The robbery happened around 9:20 a.m. A 5’7″ black male suspect wearing a green trench coat and a Boston Red Sox hat entered the bank and passed a note to a teller demanding money, according to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.

The suspect did not imply nor display a weapon during the robbery, and fled on foot with an undisclosed amount of cash, Sternbeck said. Five employees and two customers were inside the bank at the time.

Police set up a perimeter but could not locate the suspect. He remains at large. Police are seeking the public’s help in locating the suspect.

“Anyone with information on the identity or whereabouts of this individual is asked to contact Detective Rosa Ortiz with the Arlington County Police Department at 703.228.7402 or [email protected],” police said in a press release. “To report information anonymously, contact the Arlington County Crime Solvers at 866.411.TIPS (8477).”

Surveillance photos courtesy ACPD

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