'Armed, Dangerous' Gang Member Sought In Pleasanton Bank Robbery

PLEASANTON, CA — A reputed gang member from the Salinas area has been identified by police there as one of the suspects in a Pleasanton bank robbery that occurred earlier this year, and officials are on the hunt for him. Joel Torres is wanted in connection with a February 8 hold-up at Wells Fargo Bank, 4967 Hopyard Road. During the robbery, four armed suspects took over the bank and kidnapped some of those inside, carjacked a motorist and shot at police, according to officials.

Torres has visible tattoos on his face and neck, including a star under his left eye and the name "Elijah" on his neck. He has a warrant for his arrest and should be considered armed and dangerous. Anyone who spots him is asked to call 911.

On the day of the robbery, several Pleasanton streets were cordoned off as police searched for the suspects who had been spotted fleeing the scene in a GMC Yukon, according to authorities. "At the intersection of Inglewood Drive at Hopyard Road, the suspects discharged a rifle at [an] officer's patrol vehicle through the rear window of the Yukon," Pleasanton police said in a news release after the incident. "The front windshield and hood of the patrol car were struck by rifle rounds, disabling the patrol vehicle." The officer who was in the vehicle was later transported to the hospital, but released.

The suspects also carjacked someone in a brown Honda CRV in the area of Muirwood Drive and Hillview Court, Pleasanton police said at the time. "The suspects then fled the scene in the victim's vehicle on Muirwood Drive toward Springdale Avenue," police continued. "The Yukon was abandoned at the scene of the carjacking."