Shots Fired in Beaumont Citibank Robbery, No Injuries, Suspects Sought

Beaumont police were seeking two suspects, and possibly others, in connection with an armed bank robbery that occurred Friday night at the Citibank on Beaumont Avenue.

Someone may have tried to distract police by reporting a gunman at the Food 4 Less on East 6th Street, about two miles east of the Citibank, just before the robbery was reported.

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A city spokeswoman issued the following account of the robbery Saturday:

Police received a 9-1-1 call about 5:43 p.m. Friday Jan. 6 reporting an armed robbery that had just occurred at the Citibank at 777 Beaumont Ave.

A male suspect in a ski mask "entered the bank with a handgun, fired several shots into the ceiling, and ordered the employees to give him money," Darci Mulvihill, special projects manager for the city of Beaumont, said in a statement.

"The suspect left the bank with an undisclosed amount of money and was last seen leaving in a white colored van driven by another suspect," Mulvihill said.

No one was injured, Mulvihill said.

Officers responded and began a search of the surrounding area for the suspects.

The getaway van was abandoned and located by police in an alley near the Beaumont Library, on East 8th Street, Mulvihill said. The van had previously been reported stolen.

The library is at 125 E. 8th, about three blocks west of the Citibank.

"The suspects are believed to have switched to an unknown vehicle," Mulvihill said.

The suspect who entered the bank was described as a black adult male, medium build, 6-foot-1 to 6-foot-2, and 180 to 200 pounds. He was last seen wearing a dark colored sweatshirt, dark pants, and a ski mask.

No description was available of the suspect in the van.

Before receiving the robbery call at Citibank, the police department received a separate call that is believed to have been an attempt to distract officers, Mulvihill said.

A caller reported seeing a male subject with a gun inside the Food 4 Less at 1691 E. 6th St., about two miles east of Citibank.

The caller stated the male subject had been seen walking away from a white colored van in the parking lot, Mulvihill said. Officers responded within minutes and began a search of the area.

They found the van,which had also been reported stolen, but did not locate the reported subject, Mulvihill said.

The incidents at Citibank and Food 4 Less were both reported just before a 6 p.m. awards ceremony at Beaumont Civic Center, 550 East Sixth St.

Anyone who may have witnessed either event, and anyone who has other information about the armed robbery and the Food 4 Less incident, was urged to call the Beaumont police Detective Bureau at (951) 769-8500.

Information can also be sent to crimetips@beaumontpd.org or reported anonymously to WeTip at 1-800-78-CRIME.