L.A. used to lead the nation in bank robberies. What happened?
There were more bank robberies in L.A. than anywhere else in the nation in 1992.
The year is 1992. There are 2,641 bank robberies in the L.A. metro area. This is a record, more than anywhere else in the nation. Turns out there’s a fascinating history to stickups in the Southland. I just had a great conversation with my colleague Brittny Mejia, who wrote this fascinating article: They robbed banks in L.A.’s heist heyday. Freed from prison, can they resist the “lifestyle”?
“Bank robberies in L.A. really started to climb in the 1960s.
The number of banks had not doubled, yet the crime had doubled. There were all kinds of bank robberies. There was a mom who left her two kids on a park bench outside while she went inside and robbed the bank. You had a kid who rented a limo to go out and actually rob banks. He didn’t have a license, just pulled up in a limo, robbed a bank, and left in the limo.
It continued to tick up through the ‘90s. In 1992, bank robberies peaked with 2,641. The FBI was holding seminars, trying to train bank employees, trying to get a handle on what was going on. Around that time frame, you’re seeing this play out in Hollywood. You have movies like ‘Point Break,’ ‘Set It Off’ and ‘Heat’; it reflected what was happening here in L.A. at the time.
After 1992, you did start to see a drop-off. And you look at today and it’s been under 100 bank robberies for several years now. My way into this world of bank robberies is through one guy, Bruce Bell. He’s a 71-year-old who was arrested last December for attempted bank robberies. Two years before, he had been released after serving a more than 20-year sentence for a bank robbery in 1999.”
To hear more about Bruce Bell, his former partner in crime, and the crazy world of bank robberies in L.A., read Brittny’s story.
“Bank robberies in L.A. really started to climb in the 1960s.
The number of banks had not doubled, yet the crime had doubled. There were all kinds of bank robberies. There was a mom who left her two kids on a park bench outside while she went inside and robbed the bank. You had a kid who rented a limo to go out and actually rob banks. He didn’t have a license, just pulled up in a limo, robbed a bank, and left in the limo.
It continued to tick up through the ‘90s. In 1992, bank robberies peaked with 2,641. The FBI was holding seminars, trying to train bank employees, trying to get a handle on what was going on. Around that time frame, you’re seeing this play out in Hollywood. You have movies like ‘Point Break,’ ‘Set It Off’ and ‘Heat’; it reflected what was happening here in L.A. at the time.
After 1992, you did start to see a drop-off. And you look at today and it’s been under 100 bank robberies for several years now. My way into this world of bank robberies is through one guy, Bruce Bell. He’s a 71-year-old who was arrested last December for attempted bank robberies. Two years before, he had been released after serving a more than 20-year sentence for a bank robbery in 1999.”
To hear more about Bruce Bell, his former partner in crime, and the crazy world of bank robberies in L.A., read Brittny’s story.
