Bank robber busted by GPS tracking device slipped inside stolen bag of cash
Last week a bank teller in Massachusetts used a high-tech GPS tracking device to help police catch a bank robber.
On Friday morning a man wearing a face mask entered a bank and demanded money from the tellers.
The teller slipped a small GPS tracking device into a bag with about $2,500 and handed it to the robber.
After the robber left, the bank reported the robbery, giving a description of the robber and his getaway vehicle: a tan Chevy Impala. Then the bank activated the GPS tracking device hidden inside the bag of stolen cash.
Next thing you know, the chase was on.
The law enforcement officers started tracking the robber using the GPS tracking device that had been slipped into the money bag.
The police officers were able to locate the robber’s getaway vehicle in the residential area that the GPS tracking device pointed to. They found the man’s vehicle parked inside a garage. This allowed the police to arrest the man when he came out of the house.
As it turns out, this man had attempted to rob another bank that day as well. Just an hour earlier he had failed to get money when the tellers refused to hand over any cash. Although he had a gun, the tellers were protected behind bulletproof glass and were able to hide behind the counter until the robber gave up and left.
Thanks to the GPS tracking device, or the ‘money tracker’ as the court documents refer to it, the bank recovered their money and the robber will be charged with a count of felony theft of property and two counts of aggravated robbery.
This could mean anywhere from 10-40 years in prison on either charge.
Without a GPS tracking system, police can take days, weeks, and even months to recover stolen assets – if they can recover anything at all.
GPS tracking devices allow an owner to track the location of their assets in real-time, and can locate a stolen vehicle or piece of equipment within minutes. Police can often recover the stolen items in less than 24 hours.
