FBI probes bank robberies in Newhall
Agency releases picture of alleged suspect Friday
FBI agents probing two bank robberies in Newhall in the past month have released a photo of the suspect wanted for the earlier robbery on June 12.
The photo was released by officials at the FBI field office in Los Angeles, FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller told The Signal Friday.
It first appeared on the FBI-sanctioned website - LAbankrobbers.org which is run by the FBI’s bank robbery coordinator. The published photo is marked as having been taken at the Wells Fargo branch on Lyons Avenue at Wiley Canyon Road on June 12.
The suspect was captured by surveillance camera wearing a white or beige baseball cap, sunglasses and a dark blue long-sleeved shirt.
On June 12, shortly before 3 p.m., a lone male walked into the bank branch of Wells Fargo near the intersection of Lyons Avenue and Wiley Canyon Road and gave a note to a teller demanding money and indicating he had a gun, Shirley Miller, spokeswoman for the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station confirmed for The Signal at the time.
No gun was seen, no shots were fired and no one was reportedly hurt in the incident, Sgt. Dan Peacock said at the time.
Bank robbery investigators including FBI agents and detectives with the Major Crimes Bureau called in to investigate the robbery were called back to the SCV June 20 for a second similar robbery at the Chase Bank in Newhall.
In that robbery, like the one on June 12, a lone male walked into the Chase Bank branch on Lyons Avenue at Apple Street shortly after 5 p.m. and walked out with an undisclosed amount of money, having warned a teller he had a gun although no gun was seen.
“They are working on a few leads and do not wish to publicize anything currently,” Eimiller said.