Source: Santa Maria Police Department
On Thursday July 11, 2019 at approximately 1144 hours, Santa Maria Police Officers responded to the Chase bank located at 2200 S. Broadway for a report of a bank robbery in progress. Officers arrived on scene quickly and arrested the suspect, 25 year old Juan Angel Salinas Pena as he exited the bank.
During the investigation, detectives learned that Pena entered the Chase bank and told one of the bank tellers that he had a gun and demanded money. As police arrived on scene, Pena attempted to flee the bank prior to the bank teller giving him any money and was apprehended in the bank parking lot.
Officers did not locate a gun on Pena. Pena was booked at the Santa Barbara County Jail for attempted bank robbery and a parole violation.