(TheRedWire.com) – Authorities in Nogales, Arizona, have apprehended one of the three individuals believed to be involved in a recent bank heist, with the cooperation of Mexican officials.
The incident occurred on September 13, around 3 p.m., at a First Convenience Bank situated within a Walmart, as confirmed by the Nogales Police Department.
Investigators swiftly pinpointed Francisco Javier Romo-Angulo as the individual who absconded with an unspecified sum of money, fleeing in a vehicle.
This particular vehicle was subsequently spotted on Interstate 19 by both the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office and the Arizona Department of Public Safety.
The Nogales Police Department issued a statement explaining that an attempt was made to halt the vehicle, leading to the detention of a male driver. However, Romo-Angulo was not present in the car.
The man in custody was recognized as Stephen Patrick Bacon, 64, from Sonoita, as reported by the local newspaper, Nogales International. Bacon faces various charges, including conspiracy for armed robbery and evading police.
Romo-Angulo, aged 31 and a resident of Nogales, was only detained on September 16, as informed by the police through a Facebook post. Based on federal court documents sourced from Border Report, it’s alleged that he demanded $45,000 from a bank teller using an empty suitcase as a prop and threatened violence for non-compliance.
These documents also reveal that surveillance footage from the Grand Avenue International Port of Entry recorded the alleged perpetrator entering Mexico shortly after the crime.
In their quest to locate Romo-Angulo, U.S. officials sought assistance from Mexico. He was eventually detained in Nogales, Mexico, and handed over to U.S. officials at the Mariposa Port of Entry in Nogales, Arizona.
Additional footage showed Bacon and another individual named Mark Smith crossing from Mexico into Nogales shortly before the crime occurred, as disclosed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Arizona to Border Report.
Smith, much like Bacon, was detained soon after the incident. All three men are being prosecuted for their alleged roles in the bank robbery.
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