Carl Gugasian - Bank Robberies

Bank Robberies

Gugasian is notable for the meticulous way in which he planned and executed his robberies. He would begin by scouting for a bank in a particular location by studying topographical and street maps in the library, searching specifically for banks in small towns, close to wooded areas, on the other side of which was a road with easy access to a freeway. He would further narrow the search by selecting banks with late closing times in the autumn and winter months, so that the darkness would cover his escape. He would then create a cache to stash any evidence connecting him to the crime (including the money) immediately after the robbery. He would later return to retrieve the stuff once the heat is off in a few days. Once a location was selected, he would observe the bank from the cover of the woods for several days, noting the habits of the employees, then on a Friday night, a few minutes before closing time, he would strike, under the assumption that his timing would both minimize the number of customers at the bank while maximizing the amount of available cash to steal.

For the robbery itself he would don a gruesome face mask, typically resembling a character from a horror film, that he had modified in order to make it look as threatening as possible and also to fit his face snugly so as to hide the color of his skin. He would then dress in bulky clothes in order to hide his true build and, brandishing a pistol, he would burst into the bank moving quickly and crab-like so as to make assessments of his height and build difficult to ascertain. Once he reached the counter, he would vault it in a standing jump, landing on the other side with a loud crash, terrifying the staff and customers, then he would stuff as much money as he could find into his bag and leave quickly, the entire process taking less than two minutes.

Once outside the bank, he would run into the well-scouted woods, where a dirt bike was waiting, stash the evidence in his cache, then ride the bike a few miles through the woods to an anonymous-looking panel van waiting on the other side. He would load the bike into the back of the van and drive onto the freeway in order to complete his escape, ensuring that he would be miles away from the scene of the crime before the police would be able to get any fix on his getaway route.

Gugasian did resort to violence at least one time in his long career of robbing banks. He shot a Bank Manager in the abdomen upon entering the bank after the startled Manager reacted to Gugasian by leaning his body forward toward him. The Bank Manager later recovered from his gunshot wound.