Santa Paula | Failed Bank Robbery

Santa Paula Police Department – Incident Press Release

On Saturday July 28, 2018 at 3:40 PM Santa Paula Police responded to a robbery alarm at Chase Bank, at 539 W. Harvard Blvd. Due to the quick response from officers, the suspect was found walking eastbound from the bank. After the subject failed to comply, officers deployed less lethal shotguns. The suspect, Kelvin Cruz (26 years old) of Santa Paula, was struck four times with bean bag rounds, which appeared to have no effect on the subject. Officers then took the suspect to the ground and handcuffed Cruz without further incident.

Cruz was identified and confirmed as the robber by bank employees. A backpack in Cruz’s possession was searched and found to contain an unknown amount of money from the bank. It is unknown at this time if any type of weapon was used during the robbery, although no weapons were found on Cruz during the arrest. There were no reported injuries to any bank employees or witnesses.

“It’s very rare to arrive in time and stop a bank robbery. We responded to the scene quickly and efficiently within a minute, prevented the robbery in progress, and located the suspect with the stolen money in hand without harm to innocent bystanders,” said Police Chief Steve McLean. “This is just another example of the type of Police Department that exists in Santa Paula.”

The FBI was notified and responded to investigate along with Santa Paula Police detectives and Ventura County Sheriff’s investigators. Cruz has been charged with Robbery, Penal Code 211 and was transferred to Ventura County Jail after being medically cleared. This investigation is ongoing at this time.

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