The Fullerton Police Department responded to the Wells Fargo Bank at 141 West Bastanchury Road regarding a robbery in progress around 5:09 p.m. on March 26, 2024. FPD says a man wearing a mask entered the bank and demanded money from a teller. The male suspect told the teller that he had a bomb and showed the teller a white box that contained a supposed explosive device.
The suspect reportedly threatened to detonate the device. At the time of the incident, the bank was open and a customer was inside. Officers reached the scene in two minutes and made contact with employees inside using a telephone. At some point, the suspect stepped outside the business holding a white box containing stolen money and the suspicious device.
An officer-involved shooting occurred. Due to the threat of an explosive device, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department Bomb Squad responded to the scene. The Bomb Squad found an item constructed to resemble an actual explosive device. FPD says a man who is believed to be in his 70s was pronounced deceased at the scene. The suspect’s identity is not being revealed at this time.
Jay Skelton is an independent crime journalist with a passion for covering the uncovered and the under covered.