Sobering lessons from a bank robbery

[seamusTX]

Friday, the Shasta County, California, District Attorney announced that police action during a recent bank robbery was justified. (This conclusion was expected and a legal formality.)

In December 2009, one Gregorio Arguetta Estrada, 47, of Chico, took public transportation to Burney, a small town in the middle of nowhere, over 100 miles from Chico.

Estrada owned two vehicles. Police have not been able to explain why he took public transportation.

Around noon, Estrada entered the U.S. Bank in Chico. He apparently selected the bank at random.

Four employees and two customers were in the bank when Estrada entered. Quoting the DA's report, "He walked directly up to Burney resident Timothy Kerstin, 53, and pointed a handgun at the back of his head.

"[Shasta County District Attorney Jerry] Benito said Estrada had failed to chamber a round, and the gun didn't fire. He chambered a round and fired again, striking the man in the back of the neck.

"Estrada then turned his attention to customer Gloria Brown, 67. He shot Brown in the wrist. She reportedly fell to the floor of the bank and didn't move for three hours, hoping Estrada would think she was dead."

Estrada took $19,000 in cash, which he placed in a laptop bag.

"Rather than leave, Estrada directed a teller to call police, then began asking bank employees about the whereabouts of their car keys. But he reportedly never attempted to obtain a vehicle."

Estrada then shot through a window at a responding police officer, striking the police car.

"When Kerstin tried to stagger to his feet, Estrada had an employee identified only as Charlene walk him out for medical attention. After taking him out of the bank, she reportedly returned and went to her teller station.

"An employee identified as Lisa spent the time huddled in a secure ATM area, and was able to call police to give a description of the gunman, and relate some of what was going on.

"Witnesses said Estrada fired off rounds every time the bank phone rang, or police outside used a bullhorn.

"After Estrada had fired multiple shots out windows, Sheriff's Special Weapons and Tactics deputies ... said they had a clear shot at the suspect through a broken window.

"Estrada was hit in the chest by a shot fired from one of the men and dropped to the ground.

"SWAT members then rushed the building and found Estrada still alive, apparently attempting to reach one of his guns. They pulled him away and he died in an ambulance..."

http://www.contracostatimes.com/califor ... ck_check=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.chicoer.com/news/ci_14482958" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Many answers went with Estrada to his grave.

He was reportedly unemployed, in debt, and estranged from his family. However, his actions were not those of a typical bank robber. Did he intend to play out some sick fantasy and go down with a bang? No one knows.

- Jim

[mikeintexas]

With no attempt to escape (not driving his own car or taking a bank employee's car), it appears of more a suicide by cop than bank robbery.

My $0.02 worth.

[seamusTX]

That may well be, but he went to a lot of trouble. He could have just taken a pot-shot at a cop in his home town.

- Jim

[joe817]

With no attempt to escape (not driving his own car or taking a bank employee's car), it appears of more a suicide by cop than bank robbery. My $0.02 worth.

Yup, Goes to show you, it can happen to anyone at anytime, anywhere. Situational awareness folks. Always condition yellow.

[WildBill]

The bank robbery in Shasta County may not be related to what I am posting, but one never knows. The Shasta/Redding area of California is a very beautiful area and is still very rural. Chico is a college town - home to Chico State University. Here are some facts from a 2000 report about the Meth Problem in Redding/Shasta County. It is from Sen. Diane Feinstein's website.

• California supplies roughly 80% of methamphetamines to the country and the Drug Enforcement Administration considers the State of California is to be the ‘source country’ for Methamphetamines in America.

• One meth lab seized last year was capable of producing enough meth at one time for 4 million doses – about 25 doses for every man, woman and child in Shasta county.

• Shasta County's residents are diagnosed with meth-related mental health problems at five times the state's average.

• The Shasta Interagency Narcotics Task Force (SINTF) is a multi-agency group of seven drug agents funded by the state Office of Criminal Justice Planning. About 73 percent of SINTF arrests are related to methamphetamine.

• The Redding Police Department more than doubled its number of meth-related arrests between 1990 and 1996.

• At least 40 percent of those treated for traumatic injuries in Shasta County were hurt as a result of ingesting methamphetamine, north state physicians estimated in a recent news article.

• The task force estimates that more than 60 percent of drug abusers admitted to public treatment programs are addicted to meth, compared with 20 percent throughout the state.

• In 1999 the Shasta Interagency Drug Team seized 32 meth labs and over 6,000 ounces of meth.

• So far this year (2000) Shasta has busted 17 meth labs.

[Fangs]

I've heard of people taking public transportation to commit crimes far away as a means to having an alibi and lack of credit card / gas station video footage.

He might have planned on stealing a car and heading to a nearby town with another bus ride back home, since he asked about the car keys of the employees.

Maybe his ADD kicked in right around there?

[seamusTX]

• Shasta County's residents are diagnosed with meth-related mental health problems at five times the state's average.

That would explain a lot.

The criminal's action weren't consistent with any pattern of behavior. He got himself into major-league federal felony territory, didn't try to escape, made no statement about how society had abused him, etc.

No doubt there was a toxicology report, but it wasn't mentioned in any article that I could find online.

- Jim

[seamusTX]

I've heard of people taking public transportation to commit crimes far away as a means to having an alibi and lack of credit card / gas station video footage.

That could make sense, but the round trip between Chico and Burney is less than a tank of gas.

Stealing one of the employees' cars would not have gotten him far. The cops would know what to look for and where to look. Only one state highway and a few back roads lead out of Burney.

I think expecting his actions to make sense is a mistake. No two things in a row that this guy did make sense. That's one of the lessons I took from this incident. A "normal" bank robber wants to get away with the loot and not compound his crime into capital murder (which this guy seems to have tried to do).

- Jim