Santa Monica Police were called to the First Federal Bank at 2827 Main Street at 10:57 a.m. on Tuesday, August 16, after two men robbed the bank of an undisclosed amount and fled.
The two men remain at large. The Santa Monica Police report describes the first suspect as a male, Black, between 35 and 45 years of age, 6 feet tall, weighing 160 pounds, having a dark complexion and wearing a dark shirt and a dark cap with a small brim. The second suspect, also described as a Black male six feet tall, is between 25 and 30 years old, weighing about 250 pounds, heavyset, having a dark complexion and thin beard, wearing a brown baseball cap and a brown and beige shirt.
Their vehicle was described as a newer midsize silver sedan.
In an interview with the Mirror, First Federal’s Chief Executive Officer Babette Heimbuch stated that this was “the third time this branch had been robbed this year,” but she doesn’t believe that the robberies are “related.”
After the second robbery, which occurred last April, Santa Monica Police “chased two robbers and shot both of them in Marina Del Rey and the stolen cash was recovered.” In most cases, Heimbuch said, “Most bank robbers are note passers (to tellers).” In this case, there was no note. The robber simply said to a teller, “We want all your money…No weapon was shown,” and the robbery took only two minutes.
Heimbuch also said that “over time approximately 85 percent of bank robbers are caught” because most banks have video surveillance cameras.. The surveillance film of this latest robbery has been turned over to the police.The police ask that anyone who has additional information regarding this robbery to call the Robbery/Homicide Unit at (310) 458-8451. If the caller wishes to remain anonymous, he can call the We-Tip national hotline at 1-800-78-CRIME.