Experts say fake bomb used in Calif. bank robbery
Sep 11, 2012, 10:39 PM
MORENO VALLEY, Calif. (AP) – Bomb squad experts concluded Tuesday that the suspicious box an armed bank robber left at a Moreno Valley bank was a fake bomb.
The robbery occurred shortly after 8:30 a.m. at a Chase branch in Moreno Valley when two bank employees were arriving to work. The man, who wore a military-type mask with cargo pants and black boots, forced the employees inside the bank and demanded cash, said Deputy Albert Martinez of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.
The man stole an undisclosed sum of money and fled after taking an employee’s vehicle that was later found two blocks away, Martinez said.
The suspect left behind an object on a coffee table that resembled an explosive device, but it was determined that it was not an explosive, Cpl. Angel Ramos said.
No arrests have been made and no injuries have been reported.
Last week, two men abducted the manager of an East Los Angeles bank and strapped what turned out to be a fake bomb to her in a scheme to rob a Bank of America branch.
Martinez said it’s not known if the two robberies are connected.
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