Bank Robberies In The East Bay

EAST BAY —Multiple bank robberies were committed in the East Bay this week. No injuries were reported in any of the heists. There has been one arrest, and investigators believe that she may be responsible for other robberies.

The most recent robbery was on Wednesday, shortly after 2 p.m. at a Wells Fargo bank branch at 2144 Shattuck Ave. in Berkeley. The robber demanded money, took it and left the bank, police spokesman Byron White said. The robber indicated he had a gun but no one saw it. The suspect was described as a short black man with a heavy build, and wearing a blue sweater with a blue hood.

Shortly after 11 a.m. on Tuesday, the Union Bank branch on Danville Boulevard in Alamo was robbed. A Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office spokesman says that the robber threatened a teller and then fled with cash. Investigators arrested 37-year-old Chelsea Smith of Fairfield in connection with the robbery.

Investigators believe that she is also responsible for the robberies in Pleasant Hill and Martinez. She was booked into jail, but has since been released on $100,000 bail. Anyone with information on the Contra Costa County robberies should contact the sheriff's office at 925-313-2600.

If you have information on the Berkeley robbery, phone the police at 510-981-5900.

— Patch editor Bea Karnes and Bay City News contributed to this story

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