Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
Karen Scullin ReportingA bank robbery in Magna today was the fifth this week in Salt Lake County. The current rash of robberies just adds to a trend that's been heading up since the beginning of the year.
It seems banks in the valley are getting robbed just about every day, and robbing a bank seems like an easy way to get cash. But don't let that fool you; most of the brazen bank robbers do get caught.
In a matter of seconds a man walked out of a bank today with cash in hand.
Richard Cowan, Witness: “I seen a man come out the door, get in a black pickup truck and spin out of the parking lot. The manager yelled, ‘We've been robbed.’"
The suspect abandoned the truck in a nearby parking lot and jumped into another car that was waiting with a getaway driver ready to go.
On Wednesday a U.S. Bank in Taylorsville was the target for bank robbers. Also, a Wells Fargo Bank just a block and a half away from the bank that was robbed today was hit Tuesday. And the Zions bank at 10600 S. 25 W. in Sandy was also robbed on Tuesday. The suspect in that crime is James Chillemi, but he's still on the run. And on Monday a Bank One in Sandy was hit. That’s one or more for every day this week
So far this year we're at 78 bank robberies in Utah. That number is already over the 74 in all of last year. It may be a quick and easy way to get cash, but most of the bandits do eventually get caught.
Lt. Steve Sharp, Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office: “I don't understand. The people who rob banks are usually caught. There's probably a eighty to ninety percent rate of apprehension on bank robbers."
No suspects yet in the latest robbery, but it is believed the Zions robbed today is related to the U.S. Bank robbed on Tuesday in Taylorsville, and possibly several others.
