Huntington Beach : Two Banks Held Up; Suspect Chased, Caught

Bank robbers struck twice Tuesday, but one suspected holdup man was sitting in the city jail by Wednesday morning.

The first robbery occurred across from the police station at the Bank of America, 15672 Springdale St., as soon as the bank opened at 10 a.m., according to Police Sgt. Jim Dahl. The suspect went to a teller, Dahl said, and announced that he was holding up the bank and that “somebody was going to be shot . . . if his demands weren’t met,” although no one saw a gun.

The robber fled on foot with about $3,550. The teller notified a bank officer, Michael McEligot, who took off after the man.

McEligot followed the robber to a nearby housing tract and flagged down a passing motorist to call police, Dahl said.

When police arrived, the man ran into a backyard and began hopping rear fences, Dahl said, but one of the officers caught him.

Police recovered the money and arrested Phillip Eugene Dotson, 51, of Huntington Beach, on suspicion of armed robbery.

The second holdup occurred about 2 p.m. at Security Pacific Bank, 5812 Edinger Ave., when a lone robber showed a teller a note demanding money and escaped with about $1,500, Dahl said.

He was described as Caucasian, in his mid-30s, about 5 feet, 6 inches tall, 130 pounds, with brown hair and a mustache, wearing sunglasses and a red baseball cap.