Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station deputies arrested a man they believe robbed a Saugus bank Friday after claiming to have a gun.
At approximately 10:35 p.m. Friday, suspect Joel Salazar, 21, was taken into custody at a residence in Acton, less than eight hours after investigators believe he walked into a Logix bank on the 26000 block of Bouquet Canyon Road and handed a demand note over to the bank teller, according to SCV Sheriff’s Station officials.
The note, according to Lt. Leo Bauer of the SCV Sheriff’s Station, claimed that the suspect had a weapon on his person and that he was demanding a certain denomination of money be handed over to him.
Shortly before 3 p.m., the man then reportedly exited the bank with an undisclosed amount of cash, fleeing the scene on foot. Sheriff’s deputies arrived soon after, and began to take statements from witnesses as well as start working with federal investigators to determine the identity of the suspect.
“After an extensive investigation, a lead was developed,” said a news release sent out by the SCV Sheriff’s Station Saturday morning. “(Major Crimes Bureau) detectives, assisted by deputies from the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station and Palmdale Sheriff’s Station, conducted surveillance of locations known to the suspect.”
“We work in tandem with the (Federal Bureau of Investigation) investigators because all bank robberies fall under their jurisdiction,” said Bauer. “But due to local agreements with the FBI, (LASD Major Crimes Bureau) detectives generally take the lead with the FBI supervising.”
Salazar was transported and booked at the Palmdale Sheriff’s Station on one felony count of robbery. As of Saturday he was being held in lieu of $50,000 bail.
No injuries were reported as a result of the bank robbery.
