January 3, 2007
Gary Davidson
Public Information Officer

ARMED MEN ROB BANCO POPULAR IN DELTONA 

Three men robbed the Banco Popular on Deltona Boulevard in Deltona Wednesday afternoon and pistol-whipped a customer, but dropped a bag of money after a dye pack exploded. Investigators are looking into the possibility that the robbery may be connected to a hold-up Wednesday morning at a Winn-Dixie in Deltona.                              

The bank robbery was reported at about 2:28 p.m. Deputies began descending on the area in less than three minutes, but the suspects had already fled the scene in a white van that was stolen in Orange City earlier in the day. About 30 minutes after the robbery and a mile from the bank, the van was found abandoned at Vann Park on Elgrove Drive. Wednesday afternoon, patrol and K-9 units along with investigators and a Sheriff’s Office helicopter were scouring the area searching for the vehicle that the suspects switched to at the park. Investigators also were searching the stolen van for any clues that might help identify the robbers, all black men wearing masks and dark clothes and armed with pistols. The customer who was roughed up wasn’t seriously injured, but was transported by EVAC ambulance to Florida Hospital Fish Memorial in Orange City for medical treatment. 

Anyone with information is asked to call Sheriff’s investigator Tom Sylvester at (386) 860-7030 or Crime Stoppers of Northeast Florida, toll-free, at (888) 277-TIPS. Callers to Crime Stoppers will remain anonymous and can qualify for a reward of up to $1,000.