After 3 Quick Bank Heists, Robbery Suspect Kills Self

A gun enthusiast suspected of robbing three banks in just over an hour Thursday morning shot and killed himself in the afternoon when his apartment was surrounded by FBI agents and police from San Diego and El Cajon.

The dead man, identified as William Patrick McGrovern, 43, was also a suspect in two bank robberies that occurred Jan. 11 in Escondido and Poway.

The FBI said McGrovern would wear a suit and tie while committing the holdups, and he never used a weapon. On Thursday, McGrovern--dressed in a tan suit and tie--robbed banks in San Diego, El Cajon and Del Mar, authorities said.

“That’s just about a record,” FBI spokesman Jim Bolenbach said. “Most people aren’t quite that busy. That’s quite a lot of action for less than two hours’ time.”

The first robbery occurred at 10 a.m. at an Imperial Savings & Loan branch in the 5100 block of Waring Road, when a briefcase-carrying McGrovern demanded cash.

Half an hour later, authorities believe McGrovern robbed American Valley Bank in the 300 block of Fletcher Parkway in El Cajon.

About 11:15 a.m., McGrovern made it to Del Mar, where he robbed the Household Bank in the 2600 block of Del Mar Heights Road, Bolenbach said.

San Diego police spokesman Bill Robinson said the robber made off with more than $1,000 from Imperial Savings and an undetermined amount of cash from Household Bank.

El Cajon Police Officer Fenton Sue said he got $800 from American Valley Bank and escaped in a blue, two-door car.

A witness to the El Cajon robbery noted the license plate number on the getaway car, which police traced to a woman who told them she had loaned her car to McGrovern, Robinson said. Police, including officers from the FBI and detectives from San Diego and El Cajon, went to McGrovern’s apartment in the 3500 block of Ruffin Road and waited for him to return.

About 4:30, police saw McGrovern--who had changed into a brown leather jacket, tan shirt and cream-colored pants--enter the apartment complex. He saw police, pulled out a handgun and fired an errant shot at police before fleeing into his apartment, where he barricaded himself.

A few minutes later, police--who dispatched SWAT teams from San Diego and the FBI--heard a gunshot from the apartment. While the SWAT teams assembled and authorities evacuated the area, police attempted to contact McGrovern. There was no response.

About 7:45 p.m., San Diego police and the FBI broke into the apartment, where they found McGrovern dead of a single gunshot wound to the head, Bolenbach said. Police also found “quite a few guns” in the apartment, including several pistols, a rifle and “lots of ammo,” Bolenbach said.

Authorities knew little about McGovern late Thursday night. They said he lived alone, was a known gun enthusiast, was a former drug user and had served in the military.