‘Speed Queen’ Bandit Suspect to Appear
A San Diego woman who authorities suspect is the “Speed Queen” bank bandit is scheduled to be arraigned today on charges that she held up banks in Poway, Del Mar and San Diego in one afternoon.
Rita Louise Bennett, 36, was also indicted by a federal grand jury on two other bank robberies in San Diego.
The indictment, released Thursday, also charges a Mira Mesa man, Raymond Allwell, 26, with participating in the June 5 holdups at Wells Fargo Bank branches in Poway and Del Mar.
Both defendants were arrested two weeks ago by the FBI and San Diego Police Department in a joint investigation.
The bandit was dubbed the “Speed Queen” because of her urgent manner and robbing three banks in one afternoon in three cities.
In one note, the robber wrote: “You have only two seconds to give me your money! Three seconds, and I’ll blow your head off.”
The indictment states that the Wells Fargo branch at 14815 Pomerado Road in Poway was robbed of $701, and the branch in Del Mar lost $413.
Bank robbery carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
No weapons were ever displayed in any of the five holdups, even though the demand notes said the robber was carrying a gun.
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