Crime & Safety
Man Pleads Guilty To Robbing La Mesa Credit Union At Knifepoint
Rafeek Omar Karamat, 35, of San Diego, faces a maximum possible term of 20 years in prison when he's sentenced.
LA MESA, CA — A man who robbed a La Mesa credit union at knifepoint pleaded guilty Thursday to a federal bank robbery charge.
Rafeek Omar Karamat, 35, of San Diego, faces a maximum possible term of 20 years in prison when he's sentenced Feb. 22 for robbing the Navy Federal Credit Union branch on Grossmont Boulevard.
Just before 10 a.m. Sept. 30, Karamat approached a teller, brandished a knife, and said, "Give me money," and "Give me what I came for," according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
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The teller gave him about $2,500 in cash and Karamat fled the scene in a white Ford Ranger, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
La Mesa police spotted the suspect's vehicle and followed him west into San Diego, stopping him in the 4500 block of Winona Avenue, according to the criminal complaint filed in San Diego federal court.
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The cash was found inside the vehicle, court documents state, and Karamat admitted to investigators that he robbed the credit union.
— City News Service
