Robber Fatally Shot by Security Guard In Tarzana Bank

As horrified customers watched, a security guard shot and killed a man who tried to rob a Tarzana bank Thursday with what he claimed was a bomb, Los Angeles police and witnesses said.

No customers were hurt, but a bank teller fainted after the shooting stopped and was taken to the hospital for observation, said Police Lt. Anthony Alba.

In the wake of the shooting, police evacuated the Washington Mutual bank branch and cordoned off the surrounding area, Alba said, giving bomb squad investigators space to work on a briefcase in which the robber claimed to have a bomb.

Traffic on Ventura Boulevard was disrupted for more than two hours until investigators soaked the briefcase with a water cannon and determined that it did not contain an explosive device.

The robber, whom police declined to identify, drove to the bank in a black Mercedes-Benz, police said. Clad in dark clothing and a baseball cap, he walked into the Washington Mutual branch on Ventura east of Reseda Boulevard just before 11 a.m.

About that time, Perry Rumbos was standing in line waiting to withdraw money for a security deposit on an apartment in Encino.

“I saw a teller emptying money into a bag, which I thought was peculiar,” Rumbos said. “Then I heard ‘Freeze!’ ”

Rumbos said he turned and saw a security guard with his gun drawn and aimed at the robber. When the robber declared, “I have a bomb!” and started fumbling with his briefcase, the guard opened fire, Rumbos said.

He said the guard shot the robber twice, but that when the robber continued to reach for his briefcase after falling to the floor, the guard shot him three more times. Rumbos said the robber appeared to be wearing makeup and a wig.

Alba said that two guards, whom he declined to identify, were at the bank in connection with an internal probe, not to protect against robberies. He said it was not immediately clear whether one or both guards had fired their weapons.

Police and the FBI are continuing to investigate.

Rumbos said the robbery made him think twice about his recent move from Pasadena.

“I lived in the Valley before,” he said. “The first day I moved back was when the earthquake struck. . . . I don’t know about living in the Valley.”