Dec 21, 2007 8:30 am US/Pacific
Suspects Arrested After Returning to Crime Scene
TEMECULA, Calif. (CBS) ―
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The bank robbery suspects were apprehended in Temecula after they returned to the crime scene.
KDKA
Two men, including an African American wearing white face paint, robbed a Bank of America branch in Temecula and were arrested after inexplicably returning to the scene of the crime, authorities said on Friday.
The heist occurred at 27489 Ynez Rd. around 5:55 p.m. on Thursday, said Riverside County Sheriff's Sgt. Bill DeLuna.
Temecula Police Department officers were told on arriving at the bank that a man had handed a teller a note demanding money, DeLuna said. Although no gun was seen, the note implied he had a weapon, so the teller complied and handed over an undetermined amount of cash, he said.
The suspect left the bank and jumped into the bed of an awaiting Dodge pickup truck parked outside, he said.
Bank employees followed the suspect outside and jotted down a license plate number before the truck on Ynez Road, headed southbound toward Rancho California Road, De Luna said.
Witnesses described one of the robbers as a black man wearing white face paint, blue shorts and a green Pendleton-type shirt, he said.
Some 45 minutes after the robbery, bank employees noticed a truck resembling the getaway vehicle being driven through the parking lot, he said, adding that the reason they returned was "unclear."
Officers scoured the area, located the suspect vehicle and the driver was taken into custody, he said, adding that his accomplice ran off, hid in some bushes and ended up in Del Taco restaurant, where he was tracked him down with the help of witnesses.
Most of the money from the robbery was recovered, as was the demand note and other items of evidence, DeLuna said.
Reginald McClellan, 27, and Thomas Wright, 19, both of Hemet, were taken to the Southwest Detention Center, where each was to be booked on one count of robbery.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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