OAKLAND (BCN)– Police announced Monday that they arrested two Oakland men last week on suspicion of robbing a bank in Berkeley, and who were also linked to four other bank robberies.
According to Berkeley Police Department officials, on Feb. 9 at 11:20 a.m., a suspect entered the Chase Bank located at 1870 Solano Ave. in Berkeley.
The suspect was dressed in all black and was wearing a distinctive security jacket with a black and gold embroidered badge.
The suspect allegedly approached a teller and demanded cash at gunpoint, then left the bank. He was last seen running south on Colusa Avenue, police said.
Later that day, a Berkeley police detective handling the case contacted Oakland police and learned that they were investigating two cases involving a suspect with a similar description.
Together, Berkeley and Oakland police spotted the suspect’s vehicle.
They conducted surveillance of the vehicle until they were able to identify the owner and the robbery suspect.
On March 22, a search warrant was issued at a residence in the 2000 block of 100th Avenue in Oakland. There, police arrested Oakland residents Jerron Bartlow, 36, and Russell Bartlow, 53.
Officers also recovered evidence linking the suspects to five bank robberies in four cities, police said.
According to Berkeley police, the investigation was conducted withthe help of the Oakland, Alameda and Fremont police, as well as the FBI.