Attempted Decatur Bank Robbery Earns Prison Sentence

By Justin Ove

An Atlanta man will spend almost 15 years behind bars following his October conviction for trying to use a toy gun to rob a Decatur bank in 2012, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Monday.

Gerry Sanders, 42, burst into the Citizens Trust Bank just after 9 a.m. on Sept. 19, 2012. Carrying a toy handgun, Sanders approached a teller and asked her to give him all the $100 bills at her station. An armed security guard ordered Sanders to drop the gun, but when Sanders walked toward him with the gun aimed at him, the guard opened fire.

The guard’s shots wounded Sanders and the teller he was robbing, causing her a permanent injury. The guard then subdued Sanders until police and FBI agents arrived. It was only after the arrest that authorities discovered Sanders’ gun wasn’t real.

“This case represents the dangerous consequences set in motion when a person goes into a bank and announces a robbery. The defendant in this case demonstrated a complete disregard for others when he chose to rob the Citizens Trust Bank and, having a history for such reckless criminal behavior, he will now be held accountable with a lengthy prison sentence,” J. Britt Johnson, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Atlanta Field Office said in a statement.

That lengthy prison sentence was handed down within the last few days, with Sanders being sent to prison for 14 years and six months. Following his release, he will have to spend another 5 years on probation, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

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