Takeover-style robbery like one at same bank in May. This time, shot fired, cyclist hit

In a crime much like one at the same bank in May, three masked men robbed the Wells Fargo branch in the Crossroads at Riverbank shopping center Tuesday morning.

Just as in the prior robbery, the men went in and held customers and employees at gunpoint before escaping with an undisclosed amount of cash, Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Deputy Royjinar Singh said outside the bank, which remained closed several hours after the 10:30 a.m. crime.

A female witness who was outside the bank said the men got away in a gray Honda Accord. But before leaving, one of them fired a single gunshot as an apparent warning to people in the area who were visiting the bank or the businesses near it, which include Starbucks, Dickey’s, Panda Express, Coldstone and Five Guys.

A couple of hours after the robbery, the sheriff’s Crime Scene Unit photographed what may have been a smashed slug and shell casing on the sidewalk near the bank entrance

While pulling into the northbound lanes of Oakdale Road, the suspects’ vehicle struck a bicyclist, who was taken to a hospital for treatment of moderate injuries, Singh said.

“They hit him fast and hard,” said the witness, who asked to be identified only as Michelle and was among those who went to the cyclist’s aid. She said the young man suffered a head gash and complained of back pain, so she made sure he remained still until emergency medical responders could provide aid.

The 20-something man was all dressed up, Michelle said. “He was so upset. He said, ‘I was just going to a job interview and my mom can’t come get me because her car’s not working.’” The bike, which he said was his only transportation, was mangled, she said.

The suspects were followed by another witness to Hannah Court, just over a quarter mile north of the shopping center, where they ditched the Honda. Residents of the court told a Bee photographer that the men who robbed the bank in May did the same thing.

The witness tried to pin in the suspects, who’d gotten out of the Honda and into a black sedan. In a video shared by the Sheriff’s Department, the witness races his vehicle up to the driver’s side door of the sedan, which then backs up and strikes him.

The Sheriff’s Department launched its helicopter to search for the black sedan, possibly a Lexus, Singh said. It has front-end damage from hitting the witness’s vehicle.

Anyone who sees the suspect vehicle or has information on the robbery is urged to call Detective Brandon Silva at 209-863-7136 or Stanislaus Area Crime Stoppers at 209-521-4636. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward. Tips also can be submitted via www.stancrimetips.org.

This story was originally published October 16, 2018 at 12:08 PM.