Another B of A Branch Robbed, Day After Major Heist

Three armed robbers held up a Bank of America branch Thursday, one day after about $750,000 was taken from another branch in Newhall in a similar heist.

Authorities said they were uncertain whether the same men committed both robberies, but there were similarities. Both involved three men and both were committed in the early morning by bandits who followed arriving employees inside.

In Thursday’s robbery, the men were waiting by an automated teller machine outside the Lancaster branch at 43501 13th St. West when employees entered the bank about 8:45 a.m., FBI spokesman John Hoos said. The robbers followed the employees inside and handcuffed them.

Brandishing two pistols, they barked at them: “Take me to the vault! Take me to the money! Don’t look at me!” according to Hoos. After taking money from the vault, and presumably stuffing it into a plastic bag they carried, the robbers fled in a tan Ford Taurus.

Officials would not disclose the amount of money taken, but sheriff’s deputies said it was significantly less than the approximately $750,000 they said was taken in Wednesday’s robbery, one of the largest bank hauls in Southern California in recent years.

In that heist, a robber approached the manager of the branch at 24740 Valley St. in Newhall holding a bag of groceries, according to sheriff’s deputies. Claiming the bag held a bomb, the robber forced his way into the bank, and was joined by a second bandit holding a gun.

The two ransacked the bank, tying up employees and unsuccessfully trying to lock them in the vault. They escaped in a white van driven by a third man, deputies said.

The bandits in the first robbery wore sunglasses and helmets, while the men in the second heist were unmasked.

“There are some similarities,” Hoos said. “It would be speculation on our part to say they are definitely the same.”

Bank of America is offering two rewards of up to $25,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of people in either robbery.