SAN ANTONIO – A man who watched customers as they left a West Side bank and credit union has been arrested in two robberies at those locations, according to San Antonio police.
Joseph Rodriguez, 30, has recently been charged with robbery and aggravated robbery, records with the Bexar County Jail show.
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Police said the first incident occurred on Sept. 21 at a Chase bank in the 7500 block of NW Loop 410, near West Military Drive. A man had just deposited and withdrew money from the bank when he was approached by the suspect.
The suspect, who had a handgun, asked for the victim’s envelope containing money, police said. The victim, out of fear for his life, complied and gave the man the envelope, and the suspect fled the scene in his vehicle.
In the second incident on Oct. 6, a customer was robbed after leaving the Security Service Federal Credit Union in the 7300 block of U.S. Highway 90 W., less than four miles away from the location of the Sept. 21 robbery.
The victim said had just made a transaction inside the bank and got inside his car to leave when a vehicle pulled up behind him, blocking him in. The suspect then got out of the vehicle, approached the victim, pointed a handgun at his head and asked for money, police said.
The customer complied and handed over the money, and the robber left in a gray Dodge Durango with black rims.
Robbery detectives conducted surveillance at several banks in the area on Friday because of the two robberies.
An arrest warrant affidavit states that the detectives spotted a car matching the description of the suspect vehicle outside the Chase bank where the first incident occurred. Over several hours, that vehicle parked and relocated to other areas of the parking lot near the bank.
“Each time he parked his vehicle, it was placed in a position that allowed him to watch people as they left the bank,” the affidavit states. “This unusual behavior is what got detectives’ attention.”
The vehicle then left and went back to the Security Service where the second robbery happened.
Officers were able to identify the man as Rodriguez after he left the bank and parked outside his home, the affidavit states. Both victims were also able to identify the suspect, police said.
Following Rodriguez’s arrest, police said he admitted to the two robberies and gave specific details not known to the public.
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