Crime & Safety

Why No Bank Guards at Centerville Wells Fargo?

You asked, and we went looking for the answer. Here's what Wells Fargo had to say about security at its branches. We also have a few more details of the June 13 bank robbery on Centerville Highway.

, Wells Fargo officials said that the company takes security serious, but that the days of an armed guard at every bank are long gone.

It's now uncommon to see an armed guard at Wells Fargo banks, said Jay Lawrence, a spokesman for the Atlanta regional area. That's despite the public's general perception about the need for armed guards.

"We take safety and security incredibly serious," Lawrence said. "There was not a guard at that bank store, and that is not at all unusual."

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The company has found that having guards at banks "adds an element of risk in a situation like this" that would not otherwise be there, Lawrence said. Some banks do have guards, but Lawrence did not explain how that is decided.

The -- just outside the city limits of Snellville -- was robbed June 13 of an undisclosed amount of money, police said. There were at least 14 people in the bank at the time, including tellers and customers, according to a police report.

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The armed man entered the bank about 11 a.m., cocked his gun, and then ran directly for the bank tellers' desk, jumping over it. The man then put a gun to a bank teller's head, according to witness statements made to police.

"Put all the money in [expletive]," the man was reported as saying.

"The victim complied with the suspect's demands and placed an unknown amount of U.S. currency into the suspect's bag," the police report stated. "The suspect then jumped back over the desk with the bag and exited the bank."

The man was wearing a wig with long black hair, a black New York Yankees baseball cap, a black shirt with white lettering and black pants with a white stripe down the side. Witnesses reported that the armed man got away in a gray passenger vehicle, and was reportedly headed east on Centerville-Rosebud Road, away from Centerville Highway.

"It was unfortunate," said Lawrence, adding that it was fortunate that no one hurt. The safety mechanisms do "appear to be working."

Police also confirm that no one was injured at the bank. However, this particular branch has been the site of numerous robberies, including being the site of one of a string of armored car and ATM robberies across Gwinnett County and metro Atlanta.

"The trend of bank robberies is down," Lawrence said. "What's fortunate is that we haven’t had any serious injuries in a bank robbery."

The FBI is handling the case.


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