BRENTWOOD, CA – On August 11, 2016 the subject in the attached photos arrived at the
Fremont Bank in Brentwood in obvious disguise. The vigilant bank employees denied the
subject entry into the bank for fear he was going to rob them.
On August 12, 2016 the same subject returned to the same Fremont Bank in Brentwood and was spotted prior to attempting entry so he fled on foot and evaded capture.
On August 17, 2016 the same subject entered the Chase Bank in Oakley using a walker as a prop in addition to his disguise and attempted to rob that bank. The employees who were protected by ballistic glass refused to comply and pointed toward the exit. The subject then left the bank and was not located.
Brentwood Officers and Oakley Officers exchanged information in addition to networking with surrounding bay area agencies in attempt to locate the subject and his vehicle.
On August 19, 2016 the same subject entered the BAC Community Bank on Balfour Road in Brentwood, produced what was reported to be a handgun and successfully robbed the bank
of an undisclosed amount of cash. Surveillance video in the area captured the attached
image of the subjects’ vehicle as it was leaving the scene.
Photo provided by Brentwood Police
On August 20, 2016 an off duty Fremont Police Officer spotted the subjects’ vehicle in the
McDonalds parking lot on Brentwood Blvd. He immediately notified Brentwood officers and
the vehicle was stopped on Horne Court (a quiet residential community).
The subject was contacted and identified as William Lear (45 years old out of Bethel Island). Evidence
associated with the above incidents was collected at the scene and Lear was taken into
custody without incident.
Brentwood detectives conducted a search of Lear’s residence and collected additional evidence connecting him to all four incidents. Lear was booked into the Martinez Detention
Facility and bail has been set at $100,000.00.
The Brentwood Police Department would like to publicly thank the off duty Fremont Police Officer for his heightened sense of awareness and willingness to take the initiative to report
his observations. Without this combined effort, Lear may have been free to commit
additional robberies.
If you have any additional information regarding the above incidents, please contact Detective Eric Huesman at the Brentwood Police Department (925-809-7735) or [email protected].
Editors Note:
This is the second bank robbery arrest by Brentwood Police who in March of this year captured the “Bearded Bandit” , AKA Kenneth Ellis, 30 of Stockton.
The “Bearded Bandit” was allegedly tied to at least 11 bank robberies, one attempted robbery, and three casing incidents in seven Northern California Cities. He was wanted by the FBI.
5 comments
Wow. Good job all the way around.
Oakley’s finest too bad they were harassing a poor old 73 year old lady telling her that her nephew 42 was the bank robber they had computer generated pics to prove if so 5 to 8 of Oakley’s police wood surround the house 2 to 3 times a day when the elderly lady said my nephew has moved please stop harassing me opd said were going to keep disrupting your and your grandkids lives because your nephew looked like the man in the disguise the taxpayers of Oakley should be ashamed of how the Oakley police treat an elderlady who is a 25 year resident of oakley
Why must some people always turn something positive into something negative and bring female and 73 does not eliminate people from committing crimes. Check out the jails. I wonder if you would have been so supportive had this been a male.
^use periods next time please. Also did they were just trying to find out who did it, relax! Probably Black Lies matter
Brentwood is great at catching scumbabs.
Why can’t Antioch catch more of these criminals? Is it because we are just way too understaffed?
What happened to our supposed 112 or so officers we were promised??
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