Beginning in the 1930s, and in some cases even earlier in larger cities and towns, banks installed security mechanisms to protect themselves and their employees from robberies. Hamilton, along with Dillinger, were public enemy number one (or one and two I guess) as their gang robbed several banks around the Chicago area. "He'd obviously done some homework because his appearance blended in with two construction crews that were doing work in the area," said Detective Sergeant Don Ross of the Peel Regional Police Hold-Up Unit. It debuted in 1987 at Toronto's Factory Theatre, produced by Dian English, and won a Dora Mavor Moore award for best musical. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. The Stopwatch Gang, Macmillan: Toronto. One group of bank robbers spent the entire weekend casually robbing a bank vault, drinking wine and partying as they stole millions. Read more about this topic: List Of Bank Robbers And Robberies, In Canada an ordinary New England house would be mistaken for the chteau, and while every village here contains at least several gentlemen or squires, there is but one to a seigniory.Henry David Thoreau (18171862), I do not consider divorce an evil by any means. Less than a year later, he robbed another bank. Stander was killed during a confrontation with a police officer. Each time, he struck in the morning and operated without masking his face. Starr liked to rob banks during the day, sometimes with his picture pasted on a Wanted Man poster on the very walls of the banks he robbed. Two months prior to his death, Boyd told a CBC producer that he had once killed a couple and left their bodies in the trunk of a car in High Park, Toronto, years before his notoriety as a bank robber. Toronto Police Staff Inspector Mike Earl noted last year. All rights reserved. Sgt. Willis Newton, the oldest of the brothers, farmed until he was arrested for stealing cotton with his brother Doc in 1909 and sentenced to two years in prison. Most bank robbers, at least the popular ones, had characteristics that set them apart. On Aug. 21, the bank in Melita was robbed unsuccessfully and on Aug. 28 the bank of Hamilton in Killarney was robbed of $11,000 after a safe was blown to bits. Given he was born in 1866, not likely. Luke Elliott Sommer (born June 26, 1986, in Peachland, British Columbia) is a former United States Army Ranger and bank robber. At this point, things quieted down in Canada and the robberies came to an end. They used dynamite to blast a hole in the roof of the safe deposit vault at United California Bank and looted $30 million in cash and valuables. Via fbi.gov. WebThis terrible first try at train robbery got two members of the Dalton Gang arrested. For local insights and insiders travel tips that you wont find anywhere else, search any keywords in the top right-hand toolbar on this page. Jess would work ranches until he passed away from lung cancer at the age of 73 in 1960. In August he tried to move back to the U.S. but due to his suspicious responses to Customs Agents questions, he came under the scrutiny of the authorities. Willis Newton, the ringleader and a man who had spent many years robbing places with friends before enlisting his brothers, was sentenced to four years. On October 31, 1980, FBI agents arrested Wright and Reid in the Sedona, Arizona area near Slide Rock State Park. Not fake talking on her phone as a distraction, but carrying on an actual conversation while slipping the teller a this is a robbery note. Read through and the next time you visit your bank, remember to take a look up and smile for the camera. One clerk refused to open the safe, stalling the robbery while the other fled out the back door wounded at the shoulder. Det. Charles Arthur, a.k.a. Most of the towns residents knew that Green was heavily in debt. The robberies in Ceylon and Moosomin followed, with another robbery on Oct. 4 in Beinfait, Saskatchewan where the liquor supply depot was robbed of 100 cases of liquor. The 2005 Banco Central burglary in Fortaleza, Brazil, was once recognized by Guinness Book of World Records as the world's greatest bank robbery. After the cashier reluctantly complied the men made their escape with about $32,000 most of it in gold. He was struck in the head when arrested, resulting in brain damage but he would be sent to prison to serve his sentence. He was the only person in the last half century to escape over the wall from the Kingston Penitentiary, one of Canada's most secure prisons. In 1924, the gang robbed a train at Rondout, Indiana. On 6 March 1952, two members of the Boyd Gang, Steve Suchan and Leonard Jackson, killed Detective Edmund Tong, a Toronto police detective, and were later hanged for the murder. Edwin Alonzo Boyd. He's very flexible." he secured pertinent information regarding daily operations, building security features, and schedules of Dunbars fleet of armoured delivery vehicles. Memories of a Life Behind Bars (1978). It is not known if this is actually true regarding the name, or if OHara heard it second-hand from someone. Five of the perpetrators were sent to prison, but the authorities managed to recover only $1.5 million of stolen money. Robbing banks is no longer a common crime because financial institutions now carry less cash. David lives and works in New York City. Our team will be reviewing your submission and get back to you with any further questions. Young ordered the simultaneous robbery of the three banks in the town. Doc Newton spent six years in prison, while Jess Newton served nine months for the train robbery, while his brother Joe served one year. The bank only had 2 employees. But a week ago, shortly after 7 a.m. on May 8, the Vaulter appeared outside a TD Canada Trust bank branch on a strip-mall stretch of Dundas Street East in Mississauga. 1919 through 1924) was an outlaw gang of the early 20th century, and the most successful train robbers and bank robbers in history. As it became evident that Green was paying off his debts, the townspeople began to wonder where the money had come from. He was buried on August 30 in a York cemetery.[15]. Karpis led the gang along with Fred Barker and Arthur "Doc" Barker. They cracked the money room with a crowbar and bolt cutters, and they left with $11 million. White, male, young and disgruntled: Saanich bank robbers latest in line of violent B.C. The bells notified law enforcement of a robbery taking place in the bank, and often caused the robbers to flee without obtaining any, or at least not very much, cash for their efforts. Who wouldnt be curious? Over a dozen people were murdered by this duo until cops finally killed them. Ross made details of the robbery public Friday as the Canadian Bankers Association announced it had raised to $100,000 the reward for tips leading to Weston, Greg. Disguised as a construction worker, with an orange safety shirt and a hard hat, he approached a security guard outside the bank and started chatting while he waited for employees to open the branch. They soon pulled off a series of robberies, including the biggest one in Toronto history. Doc, for his part, never seemed to calm down. Today its very hard to pull off a bank job, yet each day approximately 20 banks are robbed in the U.S. alone! In 1977, he decided to use his insider knowledge to become a bank robber. 7. When asked why he did it, his response was because it felt good, sometimes for days at a time. Frank Nash knocked over 200 banks in his time and is known by many as the most successful bank robber of all time. At the time, the clean getaway (none of the loot was ever recovered) earned it a Guinness World Record for biggest bank robbery in the world. In 1997, Allen Pace was fired from Dunbar Armored, Inc. -an armored car courier service often used by banks -for tampering with a company vehicle. Some information may no longer be current. During the sixties, Williams was linked to over 60 robberies across the East Coast and Midwest. 15 Bonnie and Clyde. Following prison, Willis worked odd jobs before going back to prison for hauling whiskey before being charged for a bank robbery and serving seven years. After almost two years under house arrest in Canada, he pleaded guilty on May 27, 2008 to the August 7, 2006 robbery of a branch of the Bank of America in Tacoma, Washington. Running out to see what had happened, she found the door to the bank had been blown off completely and the windows were smashed. Chrisos Potamitisthe lone guard on duty at the time was arrested after the administration of polygraphs. Lennie Jackson had lost a foot in a railway accident and had a wooden foot in which he stored several hacksaw blades. He had nothing to lose. The two men had extracted roughly $60,000 from the Savings Association, and though many historians attribute the robbery to being led byJesse James, it was never officially solved. The Vaulter's modus operandi will remind crime-story aficionados of the exploits of one of Canada's most famous stickup artists, Toronto's Edwin Alonzo Boyd, who was also known for leaping over counters during his bank-robbing days, from 1949 to 1952. Several criminal gangs had hideouts in the Hole in the wall pass in Wyoming as it was easy to defended and difficult to approach position. Roger "Mad Dog" Caron (April 12, 1938 April 11, 2012) was a Canadian robber and the author of the influential prison memoir Go-Boy! The plan was pretty simply stay out of our way or die. WebList of the most famous and important bank robbers in history hand-picked by our team of expert editors and ranked by their popularity on On This Day. made Dillinger a priority and brought him down one night in Chicago by shooting him several times in front of a mob of people, as if Dillinger planned it himself. The crime fits the September 11, 1947, murders of Iris Scott and George Vigus.[23]. Boyd was not involved in the homicide, but for his robberies and jail breaks he was sentenced on 16 October 1952 to life imprisonment. Kevin Plumer, Historicist: titillating and Terrorizing Toronto (Torontoist: September 2007). They would escape and be pardoned after being recaptured and serving five years. On Sept. 27, seven charges of nitroglycerine was used to blow the bank safe open, while also destroying several windows and causing $3,500 in damages inside. Willis would continue robbing banks over the next few years with several other men. Brian Vale, Edwin Alonzo Boyd: the story of the notorious Boyd gang (Doubleday Canada Limited: 1997) 11. According to one account from the Texas State Historical Association, the robberies were done by the Newton Boys. He was released on day parole in February 2014. Thanks for contributing to The Canadian Encyclopedia. The surveillance footage was issued worldwide via news channels, giving Martinez instant bank robber street cred as well as notoriety she probably didnt want. Ghantt was considered to be the prime suspect as he was the only missing employee. The first armed robbery of a bank in the United States. Baby Face didnt have a long career, killed by federal agents at the age of 25. On Sept. 27, seven charges of nitroglycerine was used to blow the bank safe open, while also destroying several windows and causing $3,500 in damages inside. Some of them got away with it, some of them got caught, but all of them tried to answer the question that most of us ask ourselves from time to time: "Could I get away with it?". J.L. Edwin Alonzo Boyd, bank robber (born at Toronto 2 Apr 1914; died 17 May 2002). Greens intention was to rob the bank leaving no witnesses. On October 19 the citizens of the town were held at gunpoint on the town common while the raiders robbed the banks. It took just about half an hour for the robbers to load millions of dollars into their truck, as Allen Pace knew which bags contained the highest denominations. The mysterious criminal known as the Vaulter Bandit is back in the news and, even by his own brazen standards, his last job was daring. He was also known as the Robin Hood of the Rails or The White-Masked Bandit. His crime spree started in the Markham area in February 2010. WebJohn "Red" Hamilton (1899 April 26, 1934) was a Canadian criminal and bank robber active in the early 20th century, most notably as an associate of John Dillinger. He is between 5-foot-7 and 5-foot-10, and weighs between 170 and 190 pounds. [10] Mitchell was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2006, and died on January 14, 2007, in the Federal Medical Center in Butner, N.C. in the prison hospital at the age of 64. The son of a Toronto policeman, Boyd hoboed across the country as a youth and had minor scrapes with the law during the GREAT DEPRESSION of the 1930s. Soon another experienced bank robber, Willie Jackson (no relation to Lennie), alias The Clown, arrived at the Don Jail awaiting transfer to the Kingston Penitentiary for a seven-year sentence. Its funny how a lot of bank robbers never wear disguises anymore. So many classic movies have been made with the premise of a bank robbery, many based on the jobs pulled from people on this list. Toy Yee, who lived nearby with his father, said that his father had a revolver and he grabbed his gun to run outside and stop the robbery but he was stopped by another man. This heist inspired a comedy titled Masterminds. Whether armed with guns, coordinated with a gang or using explosives, anything was on the table if it meant leaving the building with bags of money. Also, Starr starred in a silent movie based on his criminal activity titled A Debtor to the Law. As great of a criminal as Butch Cassidy was, there are still questions as to how he died. Here are 15 of the greatest bank robbers of all time, some with a little fame, others not as much and some the basis for major motion pictures. Menu. WebJohn Herbert Dillinger: Trouble Maker Decades After his Death John Herbert Dillinger was notorious for robbing banks and even as a young teenager, the signs were there. It was the biggest cash robbery in US history at that time. In 1998 Boyd was profiled in a documentary on CBC Television's Life and Times, wherein he admitted that he had committed many more robberies than he had been charged with. The episode "Scheherazade" of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit may have partially been based on Boyd's last days. However, the Vaulter got his moniker because, during his initial robberies, he would jump onto the counter to grab money from the teller. 5 Reasons Why You Should Grow A Moustache! Take a second to support CraigBaird on Patreon! WebMENU. You've read about him in two full-length b He is believed to be operating alone because he has been seen with a police radio scanner, indicating he doesn't have an accomplice to monitor the police airwaves, said Detective Sergeant Mike Fleischaker of the York Regional Police Hold-Up Unit. A legend of the Wild West, in addition to robbing banks James was an expert train robber, because if you cant get your kicks robbing banks then try to steal from something that is moving! For John Hamilton, robbing banks wasnt his first choice. In April of 1934 they pulled off a bank job, but the getaway went awry and a shootout ensued. John Hamilton was hit and died shortly after. [12] When his regiment was posted to Reigate, Surrey, Boyd met his first wife, Doreen Mary Frances Thompson. Patrick Michael "Paddy" Mitchell (June 26, 1942 January 14, 2007) of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, was leader of the notorious "Stopwatch Gang" of bank robbers. Jesse James didnt spread the wealth, he was in it for himself and sometimes that meant a few eggs would be broken (he mistakenly killed a cashier during a heist in Missouri). 20th-century Canadian bank robber and leader of the Boyd Gang, Kathleen Doyle, "Gentleman" Bank Robber Edwin Alonzo Boyd (Suite 101: 2009). Hunter "Red" Rountree robbed his first bank when he was 87 years old. This article was published more than 7 years ago. He joined up with The other three, John Dillinger, Pretty Boy Floyd, and Baby Face Nelson, were all killed before being captured. After a bank robbery it wasnt uncommon to find Pretty Boy handing out bags of cash to people and ripping up mortgage papers also stolen from the bank. Armed robber by the Kobal collection Wikimedia. Boyd's brother, who was sleeping in another room, was also apprehended. After ensuring that the teenager was alone in the bank, Green shot him in the back of the head and left with about $5,000. In September 1923 Glover moved the family a few blocks north and Ed switched to Secord Public School for a brief period of time before being transferred back to Gledhill Public School. In this case, Pace was the guy, having worked for Dunbar as the companys safety inspector. He was first released in 1962 but because of parole violations he was returned to prison for four more years and was released again in 1966. Now, who were those robbers? Teeth Whitening Tips For Guys Who Love Their Coffee and Cigars, Performance & Lather Review of Petal Pusher Fancies, Accessorize Right: Ideas for Both Mens Casual and Formal Looks, First Date Six Tips on Dressing to Impress, 5 Must Have Mens Accessories For Autumn 2013, Beyond the Bachelor Pad: Incorporating Masculine Design, From Pete Townsend To The Pope Dr Martens Boots, Why Every Man Should Own At Least One Suit. 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