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A bank robbery on Oct. 16 at a Wells Fargo in Riverbank, which is nearly identical to an earlier May robbery at the same location, has sparked concerns about safety after an unidentified witness followed and attempted to pin the suspects as they fled.
Like the incident in May, which occurred at the same Wells Fargo bank, Tuesday’s robbery was perpetrated by three men who took an undisclosed amount of cash and fled north on Oakdale Road. This same Wells Fargo bank was also the target of a robbery in 2007, the suspect fo which has since been caught.
As the suspects were leaving the bank on Tuesday, one of the men fired a shot into the air, apparently as a warning to bank-goers and people in other shops in the Crossroads Shopping Center where the bank is located. The suspects hit a cyclist as they fled the scene in a Honda Accord.
The cyclist was taken to the hospital for moderate injuries. A witness followed the suspects to Hannah Court which is about a quarter mile from the bank. Residents of the court said that the same thing happened during the robbery in May. The suspects switched cars, after which the witness attempted to pin the suspects in the vehicle by blocking the driver's side door.
The similarities between the two robberies and the actions of the witness have sparked concerns about safety. Bank robberies are not very common, but according to the FBI’s most recent report on bank robberies (2016), a bank is robbed approximately every hour. 462 banks were robbed in California alone. Shopping centers, like that of Crossroads Shopping Center where this latest robbery took place, are among that more common facility locations where robberies take place.
While the unidentified witness who attempted to prevent the suspects from escaping is being labeled as a Good Samaritan, the best course of action in a bank robbery is to avoid being a hero, as this can potentially put you in danger.
To make the best of this worst-case scenario, try to do the following:
- Notice details about the robber. Pay attention to clothing, physical characteristics, the car they leave in, the direction of travel, and the weapons they use.
- Do not stare at a bank robber. Though you should do your best to memorize details, excessive staring could make the robbers suspicious or nervous.
- Try not to attract attention to yourself. Keep your head down and stay still.
- Cooperate. Robbers are in it for the money, but if they don't get what they want they could get violent.
- Make yourself less attractive as a hostage. Use emotions or bodily functions (get creative if you have to).
- Help preserve evidence. Do not walk over areas where the robber walked and do not touch anything the robber touched or left behind. This is a crime scene and should be preserved as best as it can be so that investigators can get as much information as possible.
- Stick to the facts. It can be easy to embellish details, but when talking to investigators it's important to only relate the facts and not your own opinion.
- Stay alert to your emotions (especially after the fact). Bank tellers and employees often receive counseling after a bank robbery, due to the stressfulness of the situation. This may be something you would want to pursue.
Bank tellers are trained on how to deal with bank robberies, so it is always helpful to look to them for cues when a robbery is taking place. Bank tellers are always told to stay calm and cooperate fully. Furthermore, according to Assistant Vice President of Corporate Communications Yahaira García-Perea, Wells Fargo branches are “in frequent contact with law enforcement and have security standards, procedures, and protection devices in place.”
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