CLEARLAKE — The Clearlake Police Department (CPD) is on the hunt for the suspect of an attempted armed robbery that occurred Thursday at Westamerica Bank in Clearlake.
No money was taken and there were no injuries reported in the incident.
According to Clearlake Police Chief Allan McClain, no weapons were seen but the suspect did indicate he had a weapon in his possession.
“At this point, we had a black male adult described as being between 28 to 40 years of age.
He was wearing a red baseball cap and red sweatshirt,” McClain said Thursday shortly following the incident.
McClain said that the suspect apparently walked into the bank and handed a teller a note.
“When she questioned if he wanted large bills, she said it loudly and he turned and ran from the bank,” he said. “No weapons were seen but there was reference to a weapon in the note.”
CPD including its K9 unit and California Highway Patrol responded to the bank, which is located on Lakeshore Drive just off of Highway 53, shortly after 11 a.m.
Upon arrival, officers secured and searched the area. “We set up a perimeter in the field around the bank,” McClain said. “We utilized the canine to search for the suspect with negative results.”
The bank was on lockdown for about an hour while officers collected evidence and conducted interviews.
The CPD has released a photo of the suspect that was captured on the bank”s security camera.
McClain said while it is not certain, the emblem on the man”s hat appears to be that of the USC Trojans.
“We are hoping that somebody knows who this individual is and that they will contact the Clearlake Police Department with information that will lead us to the suspect and his arrest,” McClain said.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is urged to contact the CPD at 994-8251.
Contact South County reporter Denise Rockenstein at drockenstein@clearlakeobserver.com or call her directly at 994-6444, ext. 11.
