Glendale attempted bank robbery suspect ID’d as Sylmar man
Glendale police have released the name of a Sylmar man suspected of trying to rob a Bank of America on Tuesday by falsely claiming to have a bomb and gun.
Two men were arrested Tuesday in connection to an alleged attempted robbery at a Bank of America in Glendale.
Pablo Miguel Lopez, 28, was on parole for a previous burglary conviction when he walked into the Bank of America branch at 3812 San Fernando Road around 3:55 p.m. and handed a note to a teller demanding money, according to the Glendale Police Department. The note also reportedly claimed he was armed.
Sgt. Dan Suttles said at the time of the incident that officers were quickly called to the scene.
When police arrived, they initially took a man who was outside the bank into custody, mistaking him for the suspect. It was later determined the man was a customer.
“He just happened to have been wearing similar clothes and a similar description to the guy,” Suttles said. “But he was able to give information about the guy inside.”
The man inside eventually came out of the bank and was taken into custody. He was identified as Lopez and booked on suspicion of robbery.
No injuries were reported during the incident.
Suttles said Lopez was carrying a backpack with him when he entered the bank, but he left it inside.
Lopez has since been charged with three counts of second-degree robbery and one count of malicious informing of a false bomb by the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office. He faces more than 17 years in prison if convicted.
A bomb-disposal unit from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department was called to the scene to investigate the backpack. Authorities quickly discovered it was harmless, with clothing and other personal effects inside.
Police cleared the scene by 6 p.m.
