Sheriff's Office asks for help in identifying Carmel bank robbery suspects.

Five days after a robbery at the Wells Fargo Bank branch at the Carmel Crossroads shopping center, no suspects have been located. 

The Monterey County Sheriff's Office released photos of the four suspects who entered the bank at about 4:40pm on Friday, May 9. The number of suspects is unknown, as is whether they were armed, although the Sheriff's Office reports that they were believed to be armed with handguns.

They left the bank with an undisclosed amount of money. One customer received minor injuries; they were treated at the bank and released.

No names have been released, and in photos provided to the public, the suspects' faces are obscured with hats, glasses and scarves. 

Investigators are urging members of the public to help locate the suspects by one of the hoodies: "Detectives would like to call attention to a sweatshirt that was being worn by one of the suspects. The sweatshirt contains the image of a grim reaper with the word 'Rebel,'" according to description released on May 13 with the photos. "We are asking the public to assist detectives by reporting any locations in Monterey County that may be selling this sweatshirt."

The suspects were seen in a red vehicle that was parked in the Crossroads parking lot, but it was abandoned at the scene; it's been taken into evidence by the Sheriff's Office where it has been processed for possible DNA and other traces. 

Subsequent reports of suspicious people running toward Carmel Middle School led to an hours-long search of the area along the riverbed behind the school, all the way to the mouth of the Carmel River, behind the shopping center where the bank is located. A second vehicle in that area was seized by the Sheriff's Office as a vehicle of interest; it is unknown how many getaway vehicles and/or drivers might have been involved. 

Carmel Valley resident Greg Maggini watched as helicopters patrolled the area for an extended period. "It went on for hours," he says. "Somebody on the scanner said there were 10 suspects."

That no suspects were ever located made Maggini nervous about armed robbers potentially still in the area, especially while walking his dog late at night.

Other agencies that assisted the Sheriff's Office in the investigation included Carmel, Salinas and Seaside police departments; California State Parks; and California Highway Patrol. The continuing investigation is being led by the Sheriff's Office. 

Sheriff's Officer Cmdr. Andy Rosas says circumstances aligned well for law enforcement, but unfortunately that didn't lead to apprehending any of the suspects.

"It was really close to perfect," Rosas says. "Our first deputy was there in less than two minutes. It's no secret we don't have a lot of deputies out there but this deputy happened to be in the area. A CHP helicopter happened to be in the area."

Other contributions from partnering agencies during the initial search included tracking canines from California State Parks and the Seaside Police Department, and drones from the Salians Police Department. "These agencies offered their assistance, and we accepted it," Rosas says. 

But in the absence of locating a suspect, the search now turns to distinctive clothing and tips from people who may recognize the suspect images or their apparel. 

During the unsuccessful search of the area, Carmel Middle School, maintenance yard and the Carmel Unified School District administrative office were placed on lockdown and the campus was closed. A singer-songwriter performance scheduled for Friday night was canceled; the lockdown orders were lifted shortly before 7:30pm.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Detective Rodrigo Lopez at 253-6050 or by selecting "submit a tip" online at mcso.countyofmonterey.gov.