Palm Springs Bank Explosion Scatters Cash in Deposit Box

An explosion ripped open a Bank of America night deposit box Monday, littering the bank parking lot with an unknown amount of money and causing $100,000 damage, authorities said.

“The night deposit door was blown about 500 feet away and there was money scattered. It was a pretty powerful explosion,” said Fred Reagan, spokesman for the Los Angeles FBI office.

Authorities had not determined whether the explosion was part of a robbery attempt. No arrests had been made.

A minor fire followed the 4:47 a.m. explosion at the Bank of America branch on East Palm Canyon Drive near Sunrise Boulevard in the Smoke Tree Shopping Center, said Police Sgt. Gary Jeandron.

There were no injuries.

FBI bomb experts and the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department bomb squad examined the destruction Monday afternoon in an effort to determine the type of explosives used and a possible motive, Police Lt. Lee Weigel said.

Bank of America officials said a bomb was placed in the night deposit box. The explosion damaged the box and a portion of the bank wall, said Tom Chapman, a bank spokesman in Los Angeles.

“There was no loss of customer information and the safe deposit boxes weren’t damaged,” he said.

The bank remained closed Monday, but customers will have access to safe deposit boxes today, Chapman said.

The bank will reopen for all transactions within 10 days, he said. Meanwhile, a mobile branch was to open today in the parking lot next to the bank.