Security Pacific Bank, Norco, California, 1980, deadly shootout between local law enforcement and five bank robbers. Under the circumstances, I was as nice as I could possibly be to the bank employees because I did feel a little sympathy for them. Although Al Capone had been named Public Enemy Number One by the city of Chicago in 1930, John Dillinger was the first to hold the title as bestowed nationally by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Four days after his arrest, Dillinger oversaw the smuggling of weapons into his friends prison cells, and they escaped, but not before killing two guards. Bank robbers became part of American folklore in many cases, among them being the James brothers, Butch Cassidy and the Hole in the Wall Gang, the Younger Brothers, and in a later era John Dillinger, Bonnie and Clyde, Willie Sutton, and many others. These gangsters graduated into armed robbers and became known as the Tape Bandits, of which Nelson was a respected member. I keep telling myself that if I live to be old (over eighty) that would be a good time to try heroin or other drugs because, why not? It was the largest bank robbery in U.S. history at the time. Ill admit that Patty Hearst probably belongs more in a Most Interesting versus Greatest bank robbers list, but here you go anyway. Also, Starr starred in a silent movie based on his criminal activity titled A Debtor to the Law. Dillinger was charged; however, many claim it was Hamilton who pulled the trigger. Nov 18, 2020. I look for video cameras, security guard positioning and speculate where the vault is. He was later transferred to the State Prison, where he worked out an escape plan with John Dillinger. ", "Walked in the bank and waited in line like a regular customer. Lee Murray, who is thought to be the mastermind behind this robbery was caught in 2010 in Morocco. In 1976, when Lebanon was in the midst of a civil war, a group of robbers decided to cash in on the confusion. Knightsbridge Security Deposit Robbery of $98 Million, 1987. Although Jesse James was never tried for any of his crimes, his brother Frank was twice, acquitted both times. By 1909 automobiles were being used to race across the country, as did this Model T, and to rob banks. As the sons of migrant farmworkers, they had often visited Michigan in the spring and early summer as their parents picked fruit. Many of the crimes which were attributed to Jesse James were done so after his death, and sometimes by other criminals in the hope of throwing off pursuit. No deliberation. The Hole in the Wall Pass in Wyoming was an easily defended, difficult to approach hideout for several criminal gangs which took sanctuary there from the 1860s through the early twentieth century. Hunt rushed to the scene to begin investigating what would turn out to be the biggest bank robbery in San Antonio history. He is renowned for his brilliant and efficient style, planning and executing robberies like military operations. Here are some of the most notorious bank robberies or robbers in American history. On April 23, 1934, the gang were confronted by police and, during a getaway, Hamilton was wounded and died shortly after. Tulsa World. The surveillance footage was issued worldwide via news channels, giving Martinez instant bank robber street cred as well as notoriety she probably didnt want. He also put his men through rehearsals using full scale mock ups of the bank interior, and didnt commit the actual robbery unless he felt sure his gang knew exactly what they were doing. Parker first met Clyde Barrow at a friends house. Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow are among the most famous outlaws in history. He committed his first major robbery in the 1920s, burglarizing a hospital in Tulsa. Sutton was the Cal Ripken of bank robbers, participating in over 100 bank robberies over a 35-year span. In the late 1920s Lester Gillis, who used the alias George Nelson, was developing a budding criminal career by performing home invasions stealing cash, jewelry, and furs, and robbing stores and taverns. He was the last remaining public enemy, all the others having being captured or killed. Taking place in Tokyo, it was the greatest bank job in the history of Japan. At this time, unemployment in the USA had risen to 25% and many more people were resorting to crime. A crowd gathers at Chicagos Biograph theater after the death of John Dillinger, July 22, 1934. 8 Candice Rose Martinez. John and Clarence Anglin, along with fellow inmate Frank Morris, escaped from Alcatraz in June 1962. The robbers escaped in a car to a nearby town, where Bonnie Parker awaited them in another car, though in transferring between vehicles some of the money was dropped. An estimated $5. Sutton claimed he never actually said it. They were not in uniform and were not connected to any existing command of the Confederate Army, though they were under the ostensible command of Bennett Young, a former member of Morgans Raiders who had surrendered with Morgan but escaped to Canada. From 1874 to 1921 it is estimated that Starr robbed over 21 banks, stealing $60,000 in cash. 9. In fact, Dillinger was one of the first in his gang to be killed. 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I'd always thought, "If I was that rich, I could change the world instead of just piling up cash." He was sentenced to life imprisonment and spent most of his adult life in Alcatraz. The Great Depression began with the Wall Street crash in 1929, and lasted well into the following decades. Director: Roger Avary | Stars: Eric Stoltz, Julie Delpy, Martin Raymond, Eric Pascal Chaltiel. The case eluded officials for decades, until an obituary appeared online and family secrets began to unravel. As the gang became notorious, Dillinger rose to the top of the list of Public Enemies, with other members of his gang filling out most of the top ten. If you want to know the best heist films you should definitely watch our picks for the best Bank Robbery movies.Discover the best popcorn machine: https:/. He was cornered by over 200 police, and shot himself in the head to avoid punishment. The banks, however, consider this kind of theft an acceptable loss, so that was okay with me being part of the loss that they consider acceptable. The robbers were armed with rifles, handguns, and shotguns. Later in life, Nelson became involved with some local gangsters, driving bootleg alcohol for them through the Chicago suburbs. Seventy-five stab wounds were inflicted on the three employees, and the stabbings only ended when they were interrupted by the entry of three customers, who were taken to the back at gunpoint and shot in the head. Whilst incarcerated he became embittered against society, and began to mix with notorious criminals such as Harry Pierpoint and James Oklahoma Jack Clark. The group soon became the hot target of the . Released on parole in May, 1933, he robbed his first bank the following month, in New Carlisle, Ohio. During his criminal career, which was a short and violent one, he was only accused of personally killing one individual, an East Chicago police officer, though his associates killed many more while committing robberies and eluding capture. ", "In their top drawer, [tellers usually had] less than $10k. The crime spree started with the robbery of the South Marion State Bank in November 1924. Following his escape from Allen County, Dillinger participated in at least ten additional bank robberies over the course of the next year, was captured again, escaped again, and became a subject of international notoriety. During the heist, a police officer was gunned down and Dillinger was officially charged with the murder, even though many witnesses named Hamilton as the shooter. Famous quotes containing the words united and/or kingdom: " The United States never lost a war or won a conference. No one pulled off more armed robberies in New York since Mikhaylich started his holiday spree in 2009. He ended up being sentenced to a long prison term for a train robbery. In the early afternoon of April 12, 1957, Steven Ray Thomas and Wanda DiCenzi entered the St. Clair Savings and Loan in Cleveland, and while Steven held a teller at gunpoint Wanda stole about $2,000 from the cash drawers, and the two made their escape, driven from the scene by a third accomplice, Rose ODonnell. Whether the raid was an act of war or a bank robbery has been debated ever since. The Soboba Grab and Dash was a casino heist straight out of the Hollywood movies. The pursuit included the local militia, who killed or captured the remaining members of the gang. John Dillinger left a bloody trail all across the Midwest. It took exactly zero technology to catch the bad . To pull it off, a 25-member gang set up a fake landscaping business. It was 1976 in Beirut. He aligned himself with Baby Face Nelson and Tommy Carroll to rob a Michigan bank, escaping with $30,000. Shirlee Pigeon, Riverside Sheriffs Association, 2010. 7. . Baby Face Nelson was a prominent member of John Dillingers gang who, along with Homer Van Meter, had a particular reputation for violence. Ted Conrad was working as a teller at the . Shootouts. But the James brothers aren't the only bank robbers to become household names. Dillinger was paroled in 1933, at the height of the great depression, when a convicted criminal had almost no option of employment. I guess you can blame Stockholm Syndrome here, but this is pretty crazy even to me (someone that totally believes Johnny Utah would join the Dead Presidents in their bank robbing adventures). Once the driver realized what was happening, he manipulated the vehicles controls to cause the engine to stall, after they had covered the seven miles aforementioned, and the robbers were forced to continue their flight on foot. But many robbers do find themselves behind bars eventually. After this, Nelson began to rob banks with Homer Van Meter and Eddie Green. Warsaw Daily Times. In June 1986, bank officials opened for business on a Monday morning to find a 20-by-25-inch hole in the bottom of the vault, deposit boxes strewn all over the floor and about $172,000 in cash . J. Edgar Hoover exploited the rash of bank robberies during the Great Depression to increase the authority of the FBI and his own personal influence. Homer Van Meter was a young member of John Dillingers gang, with a reputation for being particularly bloodthirsty. The next day, the depot was robbed. Sutton was an accomplished bank robber, although he never carried a loaded gun and never killed anybody throughout his criminal career. Insane, huh? The two men had extracted roughly $60,000 from the Savings Association, and though many historians attribute the robbery to being led by Jesse James, it was never officially solved. In January, 1934, the gang robbed a bank in Chicago escaping with $20,376. Oh-so-coincidentally, the next day, six bandits got into the garage with keys in hand, then tied up . Wikimedia. Bank robbery is a federal crime in the United States, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation defines the act of robbery as taking or attempting to take property through the use of, or the implied use of force. One of the thieves, the one who had worn a ski mask, made it as far as Albuquerque, New Mexico before he was arrested two days following the robbery. AP. Starr liked to rob banks during the day, sometimes with his picture pasted on a Wanted Man poster on the very walls of the banks he robbed. Is it strange that every time I walk into a bank I lightly case the joint? John Dillinger, Bonnie and Clyde, Pretty Boy Floyd, and several others, were cheered by those who had been hurt by the banks during the collapse of many of them in the early days of the depression. Modern day pop culture has kept the tradition alive with movies such as Point Break, HEAT and Reservoir Dogs. Wikimedia. Regardless, some of them found more success than others, however, all of them eventually were caught and persecuted. Two of them survived, as did a fourteen-month-old child, who was not shot because the robbers ammunition ran out. On the way, Bowman stopped in Utah, Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, and Missouri. Floyd killed at least three police officers and several other underworld figures, including bootleggers, which indicates he may have supplemented his income from bank robberies by serving as a hitman for organized crime figures. On January 17, 1950, 11 men steal more than $2 million ($29 million today) from the . The Bank of Montpelier/Facebook. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. This marked the beginning of forty-four minutes of endless shooting all caught live. Train and stagecoach robberies were more common since they could be carried out in remote locations, without having to contend with the inconvenience of local law enforcement. Mikhaylich was known as the Holiday Bandit due his frequent robberies in late December. 01/10/2022. 9. At the time of the robbery, Jesse James was bedridden as he recovered from a chest wound, and while it is likely that the thieves were members of the gang with which Jesse later rode, he was most likely not present at the robbery which later became known as his first. What was also known to most of the towns residents was that Green was heavily in debt, and the postmaster position, which was a political patronage job, provided an income which was insufficient for Green to pay his debts. In 1984, the First National Bank of Chattanooga in Geronimo, Oklahoma, was the site of one of the most vicious bank robberies in American history on December 14 of that year. Two members of his gang survived and James Oklahoma Jack Clark went on to join the Dillinger gang after being imprisoned, though Dillinger told Clark he couldnt join them unless he told him everything he knew about the Lamm Technique. In case you havent heard, theres a movie (1967 Arthur Penn film) that details the adventures of Bonnie and Clyde. On August 23rd, 1934, Van Meter was ambushed by four police officers and brutally gunned down. Karpis was raised in Kansas and began associating with criminals from an early age. Shots were fired at the robbers outside while their three companions were still inside, who shot the clerk in the head and fled. The gang even participated in kidnappings, however this proved to be their downfall. Baghdad holds the infamous record for the . When he was paroled he vowed to never see the inside of another prison. The Banco Central burglary Stolen: $71.6 million. During their exceedingly violent career together the pair probably robbed less than a dozen banks, and in several cases the robbery was interrupted by law enforcement, forcing the thieves to flee before securing all of the cash, often in a hail of bullets from Clyde Barrows weapon of choice, the Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR). The infamous Ohio State Penitentiary in Columbus was one of the nations most notorious prisons when Pierpont was sent there for execution. He was jailed for four years last April. One of the most famous bank robbers in American History, "Slick Willie" spent 11 years at Eastern State Penitentiary.