Morgan Hill police have artist
’s sketches of the lone bank robber who Friday made off with
$6,000 from the Tennant Station branch of the Bank of the West.
Morgan Hill police have artist’s sketches of the lone bank robber who Friday made off with $6,000 from the Tennant Station branch of the Bank of the West.
An eyewitness said she made eye contact with the suspect as he ran from the bank and she was on her way in, not realizing that he had come from the bank.
“She was able to give us a good description of him and the vehicle he drove off in,” said Sgt. Troy Hoefling of the MHPD. “She said she would be able to identify him if she saw him again … We also have him on video.”
The suspect is described as a white male, approximately 25 years old, 5 feet 9 inches tall and from 155 to 160 pounds. He was wearing a light gray long-sleeved T-shirt and a gray baseball cap. The vehicle he drove off in is described as a four-door Dodge pickup, either 4-door or extended cab, metallic bronze in color with oversized tires. The witness said the truck “looked brand new.”
The witness gave a description Friday afternoon to a police artist from the San Jose Police Department. Hoefling said the artist’s rendering is from the witness description plus the bank’s video, which showed facial hair. The artist made a second sketch, sans beard, because the witness did not remember seeing a beard.
Police were alerted to the robbery when a bank employee pressed the silent alarm at 2:29 p.m. Apparently the robber leaned over the counter and said to the teller: “Give me your money. I’m not f—— around. I’ll shoot you.”
When the male teller complied, the robber said, “I know you have more. Give me more.”
Hoefling said no one in the bank except the teller realized the bank was being robbed until the robber ran out the door. He said no one could verify that the robber was armed; the suspect apparently didn’t put his hands in his pockets and did not draw a weapon, even though he threatened to shoot the teller. No weapon was visible as he ran to his truck.
FBI agents will be meeting with the MHPD to assist in the investigation. Anyone with information about the robber should contact the MHPD at 779-2101.
