Ryan ChartrandTwo men robbed Downey Savings at 3991 S. Higuera St. at gunpoint Nov. 21 and took money from the bank’s vault and one of the teller stations, police said. No one was injured during the robbery.
The police were contacted by the bank’s alarm company at 10:35 a.m. that day. They were then informed that an armed robbery had occurred and the suspects reportedly left the scene in a tan Toyota Camry southbound on South Higuera Street.
Police secured the bank and searched for the suspects and vehicle. A vehicle fitting the description was spotted going 100 mph on U.S. Highway 101 approaching the Avila Drive exit, police said, but a further search of the area did not find the suspects.
San Luis Obispo Police Department detectives are working alongside FBI agents to investigate the robbery. Preliminary police reports indicate the two suspects, described as black males in their late 20s, entered the bank. One suspect had a handgun, which he brandished as he entered the bank while the other followed him, police said.
The four bank employees, as well as a customer who entered the bank during the robbery, were placed on the floor. The suspects demanded money, which they recovered from the bank’s vault and one of the teller stations, police said.
The employees were then forced into the vault, which the suspects allegedly didn’t close. The suspects left the bank toward Suburban Road as the Camry was traveling on South Higuera Street.
There is no description of the driver and video or photographs of the suspects are not yet available. The investigation is continuing and anyone with information is asked to call the San Luis Obispo Police Department or Crime Stoppers at 805-549-STOP.