Robbers Hide in Bank, Get Jump on Employees
A pair of armed robbers who had broken through a Northridge bank wall during the night and hid until morning bound and gagged five bank employees as they arrived for work Friday, police said.
No one was injured during the heist at Security Pacific Bank, 11177 Tampa Ave. Police and bank officials would not disclose how much cash the thieves took. After the robbers left, one bank employee managed to work free from the duct tape used as binding and phoned police, said FBI spokeswoman Karen Gardner.
The employees--taken captive one by one as they arrived between 8 and 8:45 a.m.--told investigators the robbers appeared to be in their 20s, wore ski masks, and had slight builds. Both wore blue jeans and long-sleeved shirts and wielded small handguns.
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