SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO : Bank Robber Fires Shot, Grabs Money

A lone gunman made off with an undisclosed amount of cash Friday morning after firing a shot and robbing a Security Pacific National Bank, authorities said.

Witnesses said the gunman entered the bank at 32201 Camino Capistrano about 11:20 a.m., fired one round from a small-caliber pistol and leaped over the counter into the teller area. He grabbed handfuls of cash from two or three tellers, jumped back over the counter and fled, witnesses said.

“I was just conducting my business at the teller’s window when I heard the shot go off,” said Leonard Barwick of Dana Point. “It sounded like a small gun, almost like a cap pistol. He then told all the customers to move back and he jumped over the counter and took the money.”

Another witness who asked not to be identified said the gunman was standing in line and then walked up to the counter and fired his gun. Several witnesses outside the bank said the man ran out of the bank and across Avenida Golondrina, through a neighboring shopping center and then behind the center to the railroad tracks.

“There is some confusion as to whether he left the area on foot or in a van,” said Lt. Richard Olson of the Sheriff’s Department.

The robber was described as a white male in his 30s, of medium build and wearing a blue UCLA baseball cap, a Hawaiian shirt and blue pants.