Santa Maria police searching for man who robbed bank at knifepoint

November 29, 2023

By JOSH FRIEDMAN

Santa Maria police detectives are searching for a man who robbed a bank at knifepoint Monday morning.

Shortly after 8 a.m., a man armed with a knife forced his way into the Community West Bank branch at 122 E. Betteravia Road, according to the Santa Maria Police Department. The bank had yet to open for business for the day, but employees were present.

The suspect kept employees inside the bank until he fled with an undisclosed amount of money. None of the employees suffered injuries. 

Santa Maria officers quickly arrived at the scene, but not in time to locate the suspect. Police detectives and crime lab technicians, as well as FBI agents also responded to investigate the bank robbery. 

Investigators obtained surveillance footage of the suspect and his vehicle. The suspect was last seen at about 8:20 a.m. near Conserve Fuel at Bradley and Betteravia roads, police say.

Police describe the suspect as a Hispanic man who is approximately 5 feet 8 inches with a heavy build and is believed to be Spanish speaking. He was wearing blue jeans, brown shoes, a black hooded sweatshirt, a red and white flannel jacket and a surgical mask

The suspect was driving a gray 2015 Ford F-150 with an extended cab and long bed. The pickup had a black construction style “headache” rack attached to the truck bed and fixed running boards. The truck is believed to be out of the Southern California area. 

Santa Maria detectives have taken over the investigation and are working with the FBI to try to locate the suspect and the vehicle. Detectives are asking the public for help with identifying the suspect. 

Police request that anyone who may have been near the bank or Betteravia corridor around the time of the robbery contact SMPD Detective Ivan Swenson at (805) 928-3781 ext. 1648.