SANTA BARBARA – For the second time in six months, the Bank of the West in downtown Santa Barbara was robbed, this time at gunpoint.
The bank located on the 1000 block of State Street was robbed at 9:45 a.m. on Tuesday by a man wearing shorts and a ski mask.
"Brandished a black semi-automatic handgun, what we believe to be a semi-automatic handgun. He went ahead and approached the tellers and demanded money," said Sgt. Lorenzo Duarte, Santa Barbara Police Department.
Police officers canvassed the area and asked people if they saw the man carrying a black bag and wearing a gray sweatshirt.
"People reported that the individual was last seen possibly going into the parking structure," said Sgt. Duarte. "We had officers there immediately. We searched the parking structure, we had officers search the inside and exterior of the library."
The areas were cleared and the man was gone. He got away with an undisclosed amount of money.
Duarte said the suspect entered and exited through the side doors on Figueroa Street. A police officer dusted for finger prints on the doors.
Detectives will use those prints, video surveillance footage and witness descriptions to try to identify the armed bank robber.
If you have any information regarding the robbery, you're asked to contact the Santa Barbara Police Department's Crimes Against Persons at 805-897-2335.
