Robbers Drop Through Bank’s Ceiling, Tie Up Employees and Flee With Cash

Two armed men wearing masks surprised employees of an Anaheim bank Saturday morning by dropping through a hole in the ceiling shortly before the bank was to open for business.

Anaheim police Lt. Kahle Switzer said officers answered a silent alarm at the Bank of America branch at 1818 S. Euclid St. They found employees tied up and no sign of the robbers.

Fearing that the gunmen could still be on the roof or in the attic, officers launched a search that included neighboring businesses in the strip mall where the bank is located. The Orange County sheriff’s helicopter and Anaheim K-9 units assisted in the search, which failed to turn up any suspects.

An undetermined amount of cash was taken and no employees were injured in the robbery, which is under investigation by Anaheim robbery detectives and the FBI, Switzer said.

Meanwhile, in Huntington Beach, police were searching for the culprits in another Saturday morning bank robbery. A man walked into the Wells Fargo Bank branch at 19840 Beach Blvd. and handed the teller a note demanding cash, said Lt. Larry Miller.

The robber made his getaway on foot, taking with him an undisclosed amount of cash. The man was described as a Latino in his early 20s, 5-foot-10 and 140 pounds. He was wearing a dark sweatshirt, a blue baseball cap and Oakley sunglasses, Miller said.