2020-04-14 Bank Robbery

Albuquerque man robs First Convenience Bank

William Robert Lancaster, 38, robbed the First Convenience Bank branch located inside the Walmart Supercenter at 5730 West Amarillo Boulevard in Amarillo, Texas, on April 14, 2020, claiming armed accomplices were holding his wife hostage outside. He was arrested within minutes, found still holding the stolen cash, and was charged federally with bank robbery under 18 U.S.C. § 2113 after tellers and surveillance video identified him.

The robbery

At approximately 4:02 p.m. on April 14, 2020, Lancaster walked into the Walmart Supercenter at 5730 West Amarillo Boulevard and approached the teller counter of the First Convenience Bank branch located inside the store. He initially told a teller he wanted to speak with the manager to open an account and make a large deposit.

When the manager and other tellers came to the counter, Lancaster told them the encounter was a robbery, warned them "not to do anything funny" or engage in "funny business," and claimed three other armed men were inside the Walmart and were holding his wife at gunpoint outside.

Lancaster ordered one teller to hand over the loose bills from her drawer and spread the cash on the counter, then ordered a second teller to do the same with his drawer. He then demanded a bag; when the first teller offered him a bank bag, he said he wanted a plastic bag instead, and was given a clear plastic trash sack. Lancaster and the teller placed the cash inside the bag together, and as he left the bank, Lancaster told the tellers that, for their sake, they had better hope his wife was not dead.

Witnesses described the robber as a white male in his thirties, roughly 5'08" tall, with short light brown hair and a scar on his head, wearing a red hoodie sweatshirt printed with "New Mexico" on the front — a description matching Lancaster's own appearance.

Arrest

After Lancaster left, the bank manager activated the panic alarm and called 911 to report the robbery. Amarillo Police Department (APD) patrol officers responded to the area and located Lancaster on the south side of the Walmart. He was still wearing the red "New Mexico" hoodie and was holding a clear plastic trash bag full of loose cash.

Witness identification

After Lancaster was taken into custody, FBI agents drove the two tellers past him for identification. The first teller said she was 100% certain Lancaster was the robber, citing the scar on his head, his hairstyle, and his height. The second teller likewise said he was 100% certain, citing Lancaster's facial features, hairstyle, and clothing.

Surveillance video

Law enforcement obtained surveillance video from both the Walmart and the First Convenience Bank branch from the day of the robbery. The footage showed a white male wearing a red hoodie-style sweatshirt printed with "New Mexico," with light brown hair and a large scar on his head — an appearance investigators found nearly identical to Lancaster's as he looked shortly after being detained. The video did not show Lancaster with any other people and did not show him exiting a vehicle; it showed him approaching the Walmart on foot, alone.

Statements to law enforcement

While in custody, Lancaster made several unsolicited statements to law enforcement. He said three men had put a gun to his head and forced him to rob the bank, and that they were holding his wife hostage. Later, at the Randall County Jail, he stated that his wife was dead and that she had died "the first time he 'really' robbed a bank," in 2013.

Charge

Investigators determined that Lancaster took approximately $7,698.00 in cash from the First Convenience Bank, a federally insured financial institution, and found probable cause to believe he had committed bank robbery in violation of Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 2113.

People involved

Timeline

Sources

• Federal criminal complaint / affidavit of probable cause, United States v. William Robert Lancaster, alleging bank robbery in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2113