A 50-year-old Texas man was arrested after driving a loaner vehicle from a car dealership to a local bank. He proceeded to rob the bank and go back to the dealership with intent to purchase a new BMW.
Eric Dion Warren of Lubbock, Texas was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Tuesday, though the incident occurred on June 7, 2019. U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix dished out the sentence.
Read More: Megan Thee Stallion to donate $100k to Breonna Taylor Foundation
In a press statement released on Wednesday from the Department of Justice for the Northern District of Texas, court documents reveal that Warren entered AIM Bank in Wolfforth and approached a teller. He placed a paper fast food bag and a note on the counter that read: “This is a f—— robbery. Play with me and die. I want $10,000 in 50 and 100 dollar bills. Now you got 1 minute or I will kill you.”
Warren pulled out a handgun — which was later revealed to be a painted pellet gun — and added, “I ain’t playing around, I only want 100s and 50s.”
The teller emptied the drawers of the money including strapped twenty-dollar bills with recorded serials that were traceable. After placing the money in the bag, Warren warned them not to “push any buttons,” before fleeing.
According to the statement, Warren went back to a local dealership to finalize the sale of a Black BMW and appeared to have waved the bundles of cash at employees before making a $3,000 down payment.
“While Mr. Warren was in the dealership’s finance office, an employee received a phone call informing him of the recent bank robbery. The employee realized that the vehicle used in the bank robbery matched the vehicle the dealership had loaned to Mr. Warren and he alerted law enforcement,” federal prosecutors said.
Read More: USDA looking to increase number of minority farmers by using COVID-19 funding
At the time of the arrest, Warren had $5,086 in cash in his possession. The note from the bank was analyzed and his fingerprints were used to confirmed his identity.
“The serial numbers of the money found on Mr. Warren’s person were cross-referenced and matched the numbers of the bills stolen from AIM bank,” the statement.
Have you subscribed to theGrio’s podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!
TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire, and Roku. Download theGrio today!