Santa Barbara police released new details and a photo of the alleged bicycle bank robber who reportedly threatened employees and stole cash from Montecito’s Coast Village Road Bank of America on Wednesday. The suspect is still on the loose, and police are asking for the public’s help in finding him. He was last seen fleeing by bicycle, westbound on Coast Village Road.
Santa Barbara Police Department’s Communications Center got multiple 9-1-1 calls on Wednesday just before 3 p.m. reporting a robbery in progress at the Bank of America located at 1096 Coast Village Road in Montecito.
Based on surveillance footage, a middle-aged white man wearing a black medical mask and dark-colored baseball cap and jacket entered the bank brandishing what appeared to be a weapon and demanding money. Detectives later determined that the man was not wielding a weapon, but instead a piece of metal configured to look like one.
According to bank employees, the masked man fled the bank after obtaining an undisclosed amount of cash, cycling away on a dark-colored bicycle. He was last seen heading westbound on Coast Village Road aboard the bicycle.
Santa Barbara Police Department officers and Sheriff deputies responded to the scene and conducted an “extensive search for the suspect,” but were unsuccessful in locating him. Officers believe that this is an isolated incident and there is no threat to public safety.
As of Friday, the investigation is ongoing, and no suspect has been taken into custody. Police are asking for the public’s help, and urge anyone who may know something about the suspect or the incident to call the Santa Barbara Police Department Criminal Investigations Unit at (805) 897-2327. If a caller does not wish to reveal their identity, they can call the anonymous tip line at (805) 897-2427.
