Two armed men in black ski masks robbed the Chase Bank at 494
Tres Pinos Road on Friday, taking an unidentified amount of money
and fleeing before police arrived, according to the Hollister
Police Department.
Two armed men in black ski masks robbed the Chase Bank at 494 Tres Pinos Road on Friday, taking an unidentified amount of money and fleeing before police arrived, according to the Hollister Police Department.
The two suspects, described as 5 feet 8 inches or taller and with medium builds, walked into the busy bank at 4:50 p.m Friday, Hollister Police Capt. David Westrick said. The suspects held the customers and employees at gunpoint.
“There were no injuries, but a few people were shaken up,” Westrick said.
The robbers leapt over the counter and emptied an unidentified amount of cash from tellers, Westrick said. The police department is still waiting for the bank to release the amount taken from the business.
A bank robbery in Hollister is extremely rare, Westrick said. The police couldn’t remember a bank robbery in the city for at least 10 years.
“It was before my time,” Westrick said, who has been with the department for seven years.
Chase Bank was closed Monday due to the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, so calls to the business were not returned.
Branch Manger Gina Perry when reached at home could not comment because of bank policy.
The robbery lasted only a matter of minutes, Westrick said. The robbers were there for just a couple of minutes, leaving before the police could arrive.
“They were in and out quickly,” he said.
Police received multiple calls about the robbery. Police and the sheriff’s office responded to the calls within minutes, but the suspects had already taken off on foot. Hollister police showed up three minutes after the first call, Westrick noted.
As with all bank robberies, police have contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation to help with the probe of the crime. So far, nobody has been arrested.
Despite being closed Monday, customers were still using the ATM machines.
One customer who would identify herself only as Rachel from Morgan Hill called the incident a “sign of the times.”
She also used the bank just 20 minutes before the robbery took place Friday, she said.
“I’m so glad I wasn’t there when it happened,” she said, holding the receipt form Friday’s transaction.
Other customers declined to comment because they didn’t know about the robbery.
Westrick declined any connection to a string of bank robberies throughout the Central Coast over the past few months, including places in Watsonville and Santa Cruz, he said.
“We don’t think there is any connection,” he said. “I’m speculating, but we don’t know of any connection.”
Those with more information are urged to call the Hollister Police Department at (831) 636-4330. People wishing to remain anonymous can call WeTip at (800) 78-CRIME.
