Armed Men Hold Up Thousand Oaks Bank

Three masked men, one brandishing a rifle and another a handgun, robbed a Thousand Oaks bank early Monday, terrorizing customers and employees before escaping.

No one was injured in the robbery.

As construction crews worked outside, three robbers in hard hats and jumpsuits slipped into the Ventura County Federal Credit Union in the 200 block of Thousand Oaks Boulevard about 10:50 a.m., authorities said. After revealing their guns, the robbers ordered everyone to the floor.

“They were cursing and yelling at customers and employees,” said Sheriff’s Deputy Eric Buschow. “They basically ordered everybody down on the ground and proceeded to take cash. They took control of the bank completely.”

Joe Giardiello, who runs state Sen. Tom McClintock’s district office on the third floor of the office building in which the bank is located, was entering the lobby just as the robbers were preparing to leave.

“This woman comes running out with this kid tucked under her arm,” Giardiello said. “It looked really weird. Then, right there in the hallway, there was this guy lying spread eagle on the floor. Apparently they said, ‘Get down!’ and he listened.

“I looked up, and there’s this guy coming out with a mask on and an assault rifle,” he added. “He kind of looked at me and turned back and looked at another guy and yelled something.”

Giardiello ducked behind a pillar and waited for the gunmen to leave, he said. He heard a door slam, then saw a white pickup truck drive off.

The robbers ditched the getaway truck at a nearby apartment complex, apparently fleeing in another vehicle, authorities said. No arrests were made.

A bank employee declined to comment on the heist but said the branch would remain closed for the day. Inside, FBI and sheriff’s investigators interviewed staff members and searched for evidence.

Customers later in the day reacted with concern to a sign taped to the door informing them that the branch was closed because of a robbery.

“You just don’t expect to see this sort of thing,” Giardiello said. “It’s Thousand Oaks.”

While the city often ranks as one of the safest in the country, Thousand Oaks has been a regular target of bank robbers over the years. Several banks are located along Thousand Oaks Boulevard with easy access to the Ventura Freeway, making it attractive to robbers, authorities have said.

Monday’s bank robbery was the second in the city and the 15th countywide this year, according to the FBI.

Witnesses could provide only vague descriptions of the robbers because of the three men’s masks and clothing that covered them from head to foot, Buschow said. Authorities said there may have been a fourth man involved, possibly a getaway driver.

One witness reported seeing one of the robbers outdoors who was not wearing a mask. He was described as 5 feet 9 or 5 feet 10, about 230 pounds, with no facial hair, wearing a fluorescent orange work hat and a snug-fitting jumpsuit.

A brief search was called off after deputies found a Ford F-150 pickup, which they believe to be the getaway vehicle, abandoned at an apartment complex several blocks from the bank. They were investigating the possibility that it had been stolen in Las Vegas.