A Sylmar man has been arrested in connection with a bank robbery that occurred at knifepoint Monday morning in Santa Maria.
Working with the FBI and Los Angeles Police Department, Santa Maria detectives determined the truck associated with the robbery was registered to a residence in Sylmar in the San Fernando Valley.
The robbery occurred about 8:15 a.m. Monday, before regular business hours, at Community West Bank, 122 E. Betteravia Road, according to Lt. Daniel Rios from the Santa Maria Police Department’s Detective Bureau.
Patrol officers quickly arrived on the scene, but the suspect, who was armed with a knife, had already fled the area with an undisclosed amount of money.
During the investigation, police obtained images of the suspect’s gray 2015 Ford F150 truck with an extended cab and long bed.
Detectives located video surveillance that captured the suspect and his vehicle as they were last seen near Conserve Fuel at Bradley and Betteravia roads about 8:20 a.m.
Santa Maria police began collaborating with their counterparts from Los Angeles for the investigation.
On Wednesday, LAPD officers located the suspect’s vehicle in a business area in Canoga Park, leading them to surveil the vehicle and subsequently detain the driver, Rios said.
Investigators identified the driver, Nolberto Reyes Hernandez, 64, of Sylmar, as the man suspected of robbing the Santa Maria bank and took him into custody.
“The LAPD officers were extremely responsive, and their investigative assistance proved invaluable,” Rios said.
After obtaining a warrant, Santa Maria police detectives and FBI agents conducted a search, yielding numerous items of evidence connected to the bank robbery, Rios said.
“These items included Community West Bank property, personnel property belonging to bank employees/victims and other crucial evidence items,” Rios said. “Detectives also confirmed Hernandez was in the City of Santa Maria when the robbery was committed.”
Santa Maria detectives transported Hernandez back to Santa Maria where he was booked into the Santa Barbara County Jail on suspicion of robbery, kidnapping, assault with a deadly weapon and false imprisonment.
Hernandez is being held in jail custody in lieu of $1 million bail.
“The Santa Maria Police Department would like to thank the community, FBI and LAPD for their assistance on this investigation,” Rios said.
Anyone with information related to this case can contact lead SMPD investigator Ivan Swenson at 805.928.3781, ext. 1648.