Accused robber hit 2 banks in a day, Georgia cops say. He was nabbed at the second one
A man suspected of robbing two Atlanta-area banks on the same day was about to escape with several thousand dollars of stolen cash in his pockets, authorities said. Then police showed up.
John Chavis, 35, of Smyrna faces multiple counts of felony robbery by intimidation after he was accused of holding up a Marietta Wells Fargo on the morning of Dec. 2, police said in a news release.
Chavis fled before 911 was called, police said, and officers were dispatched to the scene but failed to locate the man.
Authorities said they were then alerted to another robbery around 3:30 that afternoon, this time at a Bank of America less than a mile away. Tellers told police the suspect, later identified as Chavis, slipped them a note threatening violence if they didn’t give him $5,000 cash.
Chavis also had a towel covering one of his hands as if he had a gun, police said.
“Bank employees activated the silent alarm system while their coworker gathered cash and handed it over to Chavis,” according to the release. “When (he) exited the bank moments later, he was greeted by several armed Marietta Police Department officers.”
Chavis was arrested and charged in both robberies. He is being held without bond.
Marietta is about 20 miles northwest of Atlanta.
This story was originally published December 2, 2021 at 2:56 PM with the headline "Accused robber hit 2 banks in a day, Georgia cops say. He was nabbed at the second one."