SAN DIEGO (CNS) - A man suspected of threatening deadly violence while robbing three San Diego-area banks over the last two weeks was indicted by a grand jury today on a slate of federal charges.
During the 10-day series of heists, Terry Lee Taylor, 23, allegedly gave tellers notes stating that he had a concealed gun and was willing to kill all employees and customers present if his demands for cash were not met, according to prosecutors.
The perpetrator of the robberies -- a tall, thin man dubbed the ``Skinny Bandit'' by investigators -- struck at a US Bank branch in the 9400 block of Mira Mesa Boulevard on June 9; at a Chase Bank in the 1400 block of Main Street in Ramona on June 12; and at a US Bank in the 12200 block of Scripps Poway Parkway in Poway on Monday.
The first crime netted about $1,900, the second $4,696, and the third $2,295, court documents state.
Taylor was arrested in San Diego, where he lives, on the day of the third robbery. The suspect was assisted by a young coconspirator during the most recent heist, according to prosecutors. The purported accomplice, 18-year-old Trinity Arvin Keara Jones of Ramona, allegedly scouted the bank prior to Taylor's entrance and served as his getaway driver following the crime.
Jones was arrested Tuesday and charged in the case along with Taylor on Friday morning, officials said. Taylor also is accused of attempting to rob a Bank of America office in Ramona on June 14. The would-be heist failed due to ``the diligence of a bank employee who recognized a security photograph from the (June 12) Chase Bank robbery,'' according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in San Diego.
Taylor is scheduled to be arraigned in federal court in downtown San Diego on July 3.