1. It was the first known instance of an automobile being used as a getaway car following both an armed robbery and a bank robbery. Knightsbridge Security Deposit Robbery of $98 Million, 1987. For most of the shootout, the deputies had been outgunned by the bank robbers and changes to the arming of the San Bernardino Sheriffs Department were the direct result of the gun battles following the robbery. Eventually the F.B.I. Wikimedia. Approximately a year later, the same man robbed another Spokane bank, stealing $14,000, this time setting off a dye pack that he was given. Sutton was once asked by a reporter why he robbed banks. One of the men asked for change for a ten-dollar bill, and as William opened the cash drawer the men produced pistols and demanded that a sack be filled with all the available cash. Guarino brought in three additional known criminals of his acquaintance to assist in the robbery, which was of a Brinks shipment of cash, which was to be taken to the eleventh floor facility after arriving at the complex. John Hamilton was hit and died shortly after. In addition to being a master bank robber he was also a master of escaping from prison (which is good when your job is robbing banks on the outside). To me, its just natural, given that a. His case was eventually thrown out . The 300 million yen robbery caught the interest of international media when it took place in 1968. The fugitive behind one of America's most notorious bank robberies has been identified after a 52-year search, law enforcement officials have announced. No deliberation. 1. 9. Beginning in late 1924 and stretching into the early spring of 1925 a series of bank robberies throughout Indiana baffled authorities, as bank after bank found itself victim to a gang which simply vanished into thin air following the robberies. The innovative group of bandits found a weakness in French supermarket Monopri. They were both convicted of the crimes in 1985 and sentenced to death for capital murder and several other crimes in connection with the robbery. Hamilton was at the top of the public enemy list, whilst Dillinger and associate Harry Pierpoint were imprisoned. November 1968, Why family believes Alcatraz escapees survived their journey. I probably averaged around $5k per bank. After Pretty Boy Floyd was killed Nelson inherited the designation of Public Enemy Number One. 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. The first time he was serving a 30 year sentence for robbery, he used a smuggled gun to hold a prison guard hostage, before using a ladder to scale the prison wall. They were pursued by a hastily formed posse, and later by Pinkertons, but they eluded the chase. Most bank robbers act solo or with groups of accomplices, but Bonnie and Clyde were the rare duo that went on a crime spree that included bank robberies as well as gas stations and retail outlets. In December a robbery attempt was foiled when a bank worker pushed an alarm button, forcing the would-be robbers to flee empty-handed, but a week later they were more successful at a bank in Upland, Indiana. At the time of his death, he was only 25 years old. Athan G. Theoharis, John Stuart Cox. Nov 18, 2020. Is it strange that every time I walk into a bank I lightly case the joint? The driver then sped off, and since the make and model of the vehicle were not reported in the Tribune, it is impossible to determine what speeds were attained, but they were pursued by citizens and police also in automobiles. John Dillinger left a bloody trail all across the Midwest. During the sixties, Williams was linked to over 60 robberies across the East Coast and Midwest. "They just want to give you what you want and for you to get the hell out of their bank.". When he was paroled he vowed to never see the inside of another prison. Jesse was murdered there by Bob Ford in 1882 in St. Joseph. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Because no bodies were ever found, the US Marshal service still considers the escape to be an open case. They were shot over 50 times, including numerous headshots on each corpse. 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. 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. He is renowned for his brilliant and efficient style, planning and executing robberies like military operations. Kent, UK; 2006. On February 13, 1866, a Tuesday, a group of riders rode into Liberty, Missouri. As robbers and thieves, nobody was better than the comparatively low-profile Newton and his brothers, who later were popularized in a middling 1998 movie as "The Newton Boys."In a blink of about five years in the 1920s, the Newtons (and an occasional accomplice) pulled off about 70 bank heists (give or take a dozen), ripped off six trains and, in their pice de rsistance, cleared somewhere . As in the earlier days in the west, where criminals such as Jesse James gained the sympathy and even the admiration of citizens who agreed with their activities, some of the famous robbers and murderers of the days of the roving gangs became folk heroes among the poor and the outcast of the depression. In 1998, robbers struck the Bank of America at 1 World Trade Center in New York City, a feat believed to be impossible after the increase in security at the complex following the bombing in 1993. By then Jesse James had been dead for seven years, but the two remaining Younger brothers, Jim and Cole, continued to maintain their silence over any crimes committed by the James brothers, including the Northfield robbery. Again, right tool for the job, that makes sense. The year was 2005 and at only 19 years of age, the Cell Phone Bandit, Candice Rose Martinez, was famous for her bank robbery execution. Whether armed with guns, coordinated with a gang or using explosives, anything was on the table if it meant leaving the building with bags of money. So many classic movies have been made with the premise of a bank robbery, many based on the jobs pulled from people on this list. 4. Click to learn more. The bells notified law enforcement of a robbery taking place in the bank, and often caused the robbers to flee without obtaining any, or at least not very much, cash for their efforts. Green was the local postmaster and was of course well known to nearly all of the towns citizens, including Frank. The father of a man who was kidnapped was friends with President Franklin D Roosevelt, and as a result the FBI stepped up their efforts greatly to foil this type of crime. James and his brother Frank robbed banks, stagecoaches, trains, and once even a fair. On September 26, 1933, a total of 10 men, including . Charles Arthur Floyd was a gun happy bank robber who during his violent career cultivated a favorable image with the general public by spreading rumors that in the course of his robberies he also destroyed mortgage documents, saving many from foreclosure. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. The most famous of the gangs which used the pass was that known as the Wild Bunch, led by Robert Leroy Parker, also known as Butch Cassidy, and his partner Harry Longabaugh, known to history as the Sundance Kid. Dillinger buried his friend at the home of Volney Davis and Edna Murray. Often several different gangs occupied it simultaneously, though they did not coordinate their various nefarious activities. Once the robbers reached an area near Lytle Creek they again engaged the pursuers. On September 19, 1900, members of the Wild Bunch entered the town of Winnemucca, Nevada. The men beat a guard unconscious but were soon apprehended. Beginning in the 1930s, and in some cases even earlier in larger cities and towns, banks installed security mechanisms to protect themselves and their employees from robberies. A legend of the Wild West, in addition to robbing banks James was an expert train robber, because if you cant get your kicks robbing banks then try to steal from something that is moving! He robbed a bank in Ohio, but was captured soon after. 1. The duo stole firearms and bullet proof vests. 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 the last remaining public enemy, all the others having being captured or killed. Bank robberies are a major plot device in films, particularly the once-popular western genre, though in reality bank robberies in the American western frontier days were relatively rare. John D. Kazar, Vermont History. 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. As they were mounting their horses, shots rang out, and a nineteen-year-old college student was killed, evidently by a stray bullet. Williams and his gang were known for being able to do bank jobs in under a minute. The Great Northfield, Minnesota, Raid. 5. Homer Van Meter was a young member of John Dillingers gang, with a reputation for being particularly bloodthirsty. Nelson was finally cornered and killed by FBI agents in November 1934, in a gun battle in which two FBI agents were also killed. Of course Chaz rarely made it to class; instead, organizing bank heists to steal more federal money. One of the fake heads used by the Anglin brothers and Frank Morris bank robbers all during their 1962 escape from Alcatraz. The victim said: He was good looking, hardly more than a boy. He was later transferred to the State Prison, where he worked out an escape plan with John Dillinger. When a man going by the name Brushy Bill Roberts (above, left) surfaced in Texas in 1950 seeking pardon for the crimes of Billy the Kid, the media took notice. The riders escaped pursuit by a posse. 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). Where do we find this stuff? Wikimedia. Train robberies. made Dillinger a priority and brought him down one night in Chicago by shooting him several times in front of a mob of people, as if Dillinger planned it himself. Jesse Woodson James was an American outlaw, bank and train robber, guerrilla, and leader of the James-Younger Gang. It was unlikely that Floyd had been involved, but J. Edgar Hoover used the event as propaganda to further the cause of armed FBI agents. Parker was soon arrested during a botched robbery of a hardware store, although she was soon released having not been charged. Geronimo bank robbery in Geronimo, Oklahoma, 1984, resulted in the deaths of three bank employees and one customer. For instance, he has robbed banks dressed as a maintenance man, a postman and a police officer. Karpis was raised in Kansas and began associating with criminals from an early age. The story is unsupported by evidence and was probably created by Floyd, who hated the nickname Pretty Boy. One of the most famous bank robbers in American History, "Slick Willie" spent 11 years at Eastern State Penitentiary. 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. Ted P. Yeatman. Amazingly, they were never caught. A payroll master targeted in the robbery described Floyd as: In April 1925, Pierpont was arrested in Detroit and was soon returned to Indiana to face trial. While traveling and searching for new ways to put some money in his pocket for a better life, he stumbled upon Mike . Ill admit that Patty Hearst probably belongs more in a Most Interesting versus Greatest bank robbers list, but here you go anyway. In February 1864, Green was arrested and after questioning admitted that he had committed the murder and robbery, informing the authorities where the remaining money was hidden. The Barker family were a notorious gang of siblings who robbed banks and killed without provocation. After ensuring that the teenager was alone in the bank, Green shot him in the back of the head and left with about $5,000. Herman Baron Lamm was a German American bank robber who is widely considered the father of modern bank robbery. After the United States government protested to the British authorities the raiders were arrested in Canada and the money seized. James was not positively identified by any witnesses (though he was well known in the area), and none of the money was ever recovered. Dillinger was paroled in 1933, at the height of the great depression, when a convicted criminal had almost no option of employment. Hamilton went on to commit a spree of chaotic, yet lucrative, bank robberies with the Dillinger gang. It's almost a nostalgic thing. Whilst in prison he tried to escape with another prisoner. Three men entered the First National Bank and demanded that the cashier, George Nixon, open the safe and give up the gold coins within. It was the largest bank robbery in U.S. history at the time. In 1997, Allen Pace was fired from Dunbar Armored, Inc. - an armored car courier service often used by banks - for tampering with a company vehicle. 8. They fled to the north. Whether the raid was an act of war or a bank robbery has been debated ever since.