Fullerton : Man Fires Handgun Into Ceiling, Robs Bank
A stocky man who announced his presence by firing a handgun into the ceiling robbed a branch of Farmers & Merchants Bank and fled Wednesday morning, leaving behind what he said was a bomb, police said.
As the robber left, he placed the device on the floor near south door of the bank and warned that it would explode if anyone tried to follow him, Police Sgt. Jerry Mason said.
The Sheriff’s Department bomb squad later determined that the device was not a bomb, as it consisted only of two flares, a battery and a digital clock wired together, Mason said.
No one was injured in the incident. Mason said police and detectives for the FBI are still seeking a suspect. The amount of money taken is not known, he said.
According to Mason, the robbery began at 11:02 a.m. Wednesday, when the man entered the bank on West Orangethorpe Boulevard, fired a single shot from a handgun into the ceiling and announced that he was going to rob the bank.
The man then vaulted over a counter and took money from all but one teller station, Mason said.
Police described the robber as a stocky black man between 30 and 40 years old who was wearing a blue athletic jacket and dark pants. Witnesses did not report seeing a getaway car, Mason said.
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