OXNARD : Bank Robbery Suspect Captured
A masked man brandishing a 20-gauge shotgun took over an Oxnard bank Friday morning, robbing three tellers and then leading police on a 20-minute car chase through residential areas, authorities said.
Oxnard police arrested Tony Ray, 33, of Oxnard on suspicion of armed robbery, said Gary Auer of the FBI’s Ventura bureau. If convicted, Ray could face up to 20 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
At about 10 a.m., a gunman entered Security Pacific Bank, 606 N. Ventura Road, wearing what looked like a rubber Ronald Reagan mask. He went behind the tellers’ row and deposited money into a duffel bag, Sgt. Denny Phillips of the Oxnard Police Department said.
When a customer, one of about 17 people in the bank, questioned the authenticity of his gun, the man ejected a cartridge on the floor, Phillips said.
The gunman also hit a customer with the gun, Auer added, although no one was seriously injured.
After someone outside the bank called the police, five patrol cars arrived in time to watch the robber jump into a car. The police chased the car through residential areas at speeds of more than 80 m.p.h. for about 20 minutes until a rear tire blew out while the car rounded a curve in the 2100 block of Lantana Street, Phillips said.
Two police cars were damaged in the pursuit when one ran into the other while making an abrupt turn, Phillips said.
After the robbery, the bank closed for the remainder of the day, Phillips said.
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