Two men held up First Federal Bank on Montana Avenue earlier this week, stealing an undisclosed amount of cash.
There were no injuries, but bank employees and customers were shaken up by the incident.
Shortly before 10 a.m. on Monday, two men entered the bank at 17th Street and Montana Avenue and demanded money from the tellers, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Santa Monica police arrived on the scene first and detectives then called Los Angeles’ FBI bureau, which handles all bank robberies on the westside.
“It was a takeover robbery,” said FBI spokeswoman Laura Bosley. “They told everybody, ‘Get the f--- down.’”
No weapon was ever produced, according to witnesses who were interviewed by Santa Monica police and FBI agents.
Sources said the two men held their hands near their sides and inside their pockets, implying they had guns. One source said a teller was knocked to the ground by one of the robbers.
“We always assume robbers are armed and dangerous,” Bosley said. “At least orally, they were violent and intimidating.”
It is unknown how many people were in the bank during the robbery, but sources said three tellers were behind the counter and the suspects reportedly made off with a few thousand dollars. The FBI couldn’t confirm how much money was taken.
When asked about the robbery, Farzaneh Johartchi, vice president and branch manager of First Federal Bank, said it’s company policy not to comment on robberies. She did say, however, that First Federal had been held up before and it’s not uncommon for banks on Montana Avenue to be robbed.
The first suspect is described as a black male, in his early 20s, 5 feet, 6 inches tall, and about 150 pounds. He has a medium complexion, short dark hair, a goatee beard and long sideburns. He was wearing a white dress shirt, dark pants and sunglasses. He carried a white plastic grocery bag to fill up with the stolen cash.
The second suspect is described as a black male, in his early 20s, 5 feet, 5 inches tall and between 130-135 pounds. He has a thin build, medium complexion and short dark hair. He also was wearing sunglasses, a white dress shirt and dark pants.
“They exited through the back door on foot and were not seen after that,” Bosley said. “They are at large at this point and are not believed to be connected to any other robberies.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 4, 2002. Read the original PDF.