There’s something about the First Republic Bank on Geary and 24th Avenue that attracts the criminal element…
KCBS reports that the bank was robbed on Thursday afternoon at about 1:35pm.
A suspect entered the bank with a gun and ordered employees to get on the ground, according to police.
He then opened the front door for a second suspect while a third suspect entered from a rear door, police said.
The suspects then proceeded to take money from desk drawers and one struck a bank employee in the head, police spokeswoman Officer Tracy Turner said.
A fourth suspect came in briefly to check on the other suspects, and the four eventually fled from the bank on foot. They were described as four black men wearing black hooded sweatshirts and scarves over their faces, Turner said.
The bank employee who was struck was not seriously injured, Turner said. [KCBS]
The same First Republic Bank was robbed on January 4, 2013 by two suspects who were black males. In January, police released photos of the suspects from the bank’s security cameras.
Could it be the same suspects that returned yesterday?
Anyone with information about the robberies is encouraged to call the Police Department’s anonymous tip line at (415) 575-4444 or to send a tip by text message to TIP411 with “SFPD” in the message.
That 6001 Geary location, which has always been a bank, has a history of robberies. In 2004, a male in his 40’s stole about $5,000. And back in 1997, three armed men in ski masks made off with $50,000 when it was United Savings Bank.
Sarah B.
people from the hood robbing again? le sigh.. please hire security guards
It’d be great to hear how Richmond SFPD station is handling the uptick in robberies, thefts, burglaries, etc. Crosswalk traps, targeting drivers, etc. don’t do much for community relations when there are these outstanding issues. #Community Policing
Just as a side note, 9 out of 10 times I walk by that bank there is no one in it except employees and a security guard.
Yet another reason to place surveillance cameras, citywide. If we had surveillance cameras on every urban corner, we could see criminals coming and going from multiple visual perspectives. The technology is available, and proven – why aren’t we using it?
@phil – its not being used because the city is whack. it would rather spend what was it, 43 million dollars on a beta ap to find a parking space, when A the spot will be gone by the time you get to it and B its illegal to be on your phone when driving lol!
there is a time and place for racial profiling….there, said what many are thinking.
Robbing a First Republic branch has to be one of the stupidest crimes ever. The tellers do not have any money beyond a few bucks since they’re just sitting at desks, and no branch has much cash, which is locked up in the back. Only an idiot would do this. Now if they ever get caught they’re up on an armed robbery charge (a felony) for what? a few bucks after they divvy up the take? Losers!
Irving St. has had several bank robberies this year at the Citi Bank branch and the Wells Fargo near 8th, but the First Republic branch has gone unnoticed.
Citywide surveillance? Why? So the NSA can not only tap and follow you around through your phone and email, but they can watch you too? They already scan your plates, so they know where you are. What’s next? The thought police?
Maybe the bank should NOT have the back doors open, having only the front doors. That might be a better solution than having 24/7 big brother following your every move.
Not so much foot traffic out that far west to serve as a deterrent, and having a back door out of view of the street probably did contribute to their vulnerability.
Bigheart said: “Citywide surveillance? Why? So the NSA can not only tap and follow you around through your phone and email, but they can watch you too? They already scan your plates, so they know where you are. What’s next? The thought police?
“Maybe the bank should NOT have the back doors open, having only the front doors. That might be a better solution than having 24/7 big brother following your every move.”
***
This is a very typical objection to surveillance in public spaces, for which, by *law* there is NO legal expectation of privacy. That said, essentially, what you are arguing for is a large scale, anti-public-space-surveillance scenario *enables* criminals to escape from crime scenes undiscovered, in addition to criminals knowing that as long as they operate with stealth, they have an increased chance to escape the consequences of crime. Please think about what you are arguing for. There is no way that all crimes can be prevented, or the perpetrators of those crimes, apprehended. However, we do have tools available to both prevent and apprehend criminals, if those tools are deployed in a transparent manner, in ways that protect abuse by government officials – i.e. don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.
Guess what? Your phone company and all the merchants that it has relationships with know where you are, how you use your phone for commerce, etc. etc.
Retail stores are already tracking your every move in a department store and sending messages to your phone based on intelligent profiles.
Your credit information is available to any financial institution or commercial provider of services.
Your health information is available to any health insurance company or doctor/hospital.
Your educational information is readily available to any employer, as is information about your past wage history.
You can be filmed by any one of the hundreds or thousands of people with camera phones.
You are on camera anytime you use public auto, air, train, sea transport infrastructure, or are in any public building – including sporting event venues.
You are tracked by Internet service providers, even after you log out of their services. Look into Facebook’s Terms of Service. If you are a Facebook subscriber, you might be surprised.
Last, although I do not agree with the way that the NSA has gone about surveillance, surveillance is a necessary tool in a complex society where just a few people can cause massive mayhem. As the ability of small groups to cause increased mayhem, with ever more dangerous weapons – including biological weapons – the need for surveillance will increase. There is simply no way to stop increased surveillance, but there IS a way to demand more transparency, and protect fragile democratic values.
The problem with the NSA is that it was not transparent about its surveillance, and it has skirted protective laws re: surveillance and privacy. Now that the NSA’s actions are out in the open, I suspect that we will gain more transparency.
Hope this hasn’t been too long, but a very strong argument can be made for increased public surveillance. By steadfastly refusing to consider the latter, we passively accept that many criminals will not be apprehended, or even punished – in addition to creating (by default) a situation that is less of a deterrent than comprehensive street surveillance.
That location has always been bad juju. I’ve lost count as to how many robberies have happened at that location (United multiple times). The building needs to be razed and turned into shops because I think it’s just not good for banks!