Los Angeles Man Arrested in Connection With Saline Bank Robbery

The Saline Police Department is crediting teamwork for the apprehension of a suspect believed to be involved in the May 25, 2012 robbery of TCF Bank, 1301 E. Michigan Ave., Saline, Michigan.

Charles Anthony Williams, 40, of Los Angeles,California, was arrested March 28 by a fugitive task force in Los Angeles.  Police say Williams is suspected of being involved in a group that committed a series of bank robberies around the country.

The arrest concluded a year-long investigation by a local task force created after the Saline robbery, which police believe to be one of numerous bank robberies from the City of Jackson to Ohio.   

"Crediting teamwork sounds like a cliché, but it was necessary in bringing about a positive outcome to this investigation," Saline Police Detective Don Lupi said. "A police department the size of Saline needs assistance when it comes to a larger investigation like this. Fortunately other departments stepped up".

The task force consisted of members from the Saline Police Department, Pittsfield Township Police Department, Jackson Police Department, Ann Arbor Police Department, Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Department, Michigan State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Evidence collected from the robbery in Saline was instrumental in identifying Williams and was the key element in obtaining the federal arrest warrant for him, Lupi said.

At 10:58 a.m., May 25, 2012, the Saline Police Department received a 911 call indicating the TCF bank had been robbed. Two suspects, wearing masks to hide their faces, entered the bank. The suspects jumped the bank counters, which allowed them access to the cash. The suspects fled the scene in an older model four-door vehicle, which was later discovered to be a stolen vehicle. There was a third person in the getaway vehicle.  The stolen vehicle was located abandoned a short distance from the bank Saline Area Schools were locked down during the incident.

Lupi said police are working to bring charges against other suspects involved in the incident and connecting the bank robbery to several others that occurred in the area.

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