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Anthony Arrington
Suspect in Willow Glen bank heist is arrested in Oakland
Man was stopped after holdup, but eluded police in high-speed chase
By Kate Carter
Oakland police and FBI agents arrested the suspect in a Willow Glen bank robbery on Sept. 13, after he rammed two Oakland police vehicles and an undercover FBI vehicle, following a pursuit through Oakland.
Oakland resident Anthony Arrington, 40, allegedly held up a Bank of the West branch at Hamilton and Meridian avenues on Sept. 11. He was pulled over shortly after the robbery, but drove away from the car stop and eluded police, who called off the chase because of safety concerns.
Arrington was a parolee with a history of violations, including bank robbery and assault with a deadly weapon. He is also suspected of robbing another Bank of the West branch in San Lorenzo on Aug. 28.
San Jose police spokesman Sgt. Steve Dixon said Arrington entered the bank just before 1 p.m. on Sept. 11, and approached a teller with a demand note, implying he had a weapon.
Customers and bank employees told police they weren't aware of what was happening until after it was over and that they didn't see a weapon. Police say the suspect left with a small amount of money.
Minutes after he fled the bank, Arrington was pulled over at the corner of Branham Lane and Meridian Avenue by an officer who noticed that his car matched the description of the getaway car.
When Arrington handed his driver's license to the officer, police say he yelled "I ain't going back" and sped away after backup units arrived.
Officers followed the suspect toward Los Gatos for about six minutes before a sergeant called off the chase.
"It was dangerous to continue, with all the traffic, and we did know who he was," Dixon said.
He was driving a blue Mazda registered to a business address in Oakland.
Two days later, FBI agents set up surveillance on the vehicle, that was spotted at 38th and San Juan avenues in Oakland.
At around noon, FBI agents saw Arrington emerge from a building with an adult male and an 8-year-old boy. The agents contacted Oakland police and waited until they arrived before approaching the suspect, but the three entered Arrington's car and fled.
The agents and officers chased Arrington at high speeds for about 10 minutes until he rammed two police cars and a Ford Explorer driven by the FBI agents.
He was arrested without incident and handed over to San Jose police.
Arrington is being held on $500,000 bail in the Santa Clara County Jail for bank robbery and felony failure to yield with reckless driving charges.
Police did not recover a firearm.
The man in the car with Arrington told police he tried to convince him to give up the chase and that he even tried to remove the keys from the ignition. The passenger is not suspected of involvement with the robbery.
Anyone with information about this case can call Officer Paul Joseph at the San Jose police robbery unit at 408.277.4166. To remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 408.947.STOP.
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Willow Glen, California Since 1992
